Think no one will notice if you neglect to check whether a new employee is eligible to work in the U.S.? The federal government is cracking down on immigration paperwork violations and the penalties are more severe than you probably realize. A recent case in Maryland shows us very clearly why I-9 violations are no small matter.
Screening News Network Update – February 23, 2015 Learn more about this and other screening news topics in this week's EBI Screening News Update.
Screening News Network Update – February 6, 2015 Learn more about this and other screening news topics in this week's EBI Screening News Update.
Are companies padding their bottom line by misclassifying workers as independent contractors? Texas State Representative Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) says this technique is used quite often, especially by construction companies. She alleges they misclassify illegal immigrants so they don’t have to fill out the mandatory I-9 forms to prove an employee is legally allowed to work in the United States.
Screening News Update – October 23, 2014. This Screening News Update Legislative alert contains BOTH a text and a video version.
A few days ago we received an alert that the Colorado Affirmation form had been updated, and all employers dealing with that state needed to make sure they were using the new form as of October 1. I checked with our compliance department to see what this important change was so I could get the message out to our readers ASAP. You could be audited or even fined if you miss this change. Are you ready for the big change?
Nine 7-Eleven franchisees and operators are under indictment for allegedly conspiring to commit wire fraud, stealing identities and harboring illegal immigrants. This is the largest criminal immigrant employment investigation ever conducted.
Screening News Update – October 8, 2014. This Screening News and Legislative Alert blog post contains BOTH a text and a video version. This week's topics include: DISH TV v. Medical Marijuana An Airline Fined for I-9 Discrimination Senator Toomey Wants to Re-Screen Teachers
At first it just sounds funny… in fact I’m sure you are thinking of some witty puns or one-liners right now… but there is actually a valid effort behind the idea.
Ban The Box The state of Illinois joins the wave of banning the box. Governor Pat Quinn signed the initiative into law, which is intended to help ex-offenders applying for jobs in the private sector. Employers and employment agencies must now hold off on criminal background checks until after applicants are deemed qualified for the job in question.
The owners of the Black and Blue Restaurant of Rochester, New York started this New Year by handing $88,700 over to the feds. Their crime? Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accused the restaurant of failing to prepare I-9 forms for 19 employees, and having hundreds more that were incomplete. ICE originally wanted $264,605 in penalties… but after an appeal, the Department of Justice settled for less. This is not the first time I-9 violations have nearly cost a restaurant owner their livelihood.
Your company's I-9 compliance should be treated as sacred as its mission statement, corporate vision, employee handbook, or any other policy or procedure used to ensure the continued success of your business. Hiring ineligible or undocumented workers at your workplace could have grave affects on your business and its financial success. The Federal Immigration and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 prohibits U.S. businesses from hiring unauthorized immigrants or ineligible workers and that is the bottom line. A Texas-based technology consulting and outsourcing company learned the hard way and recently settled for a record $34 million dollar civil lawsuit with the U.S. government for systemic visa fraud and abuse of the immigration processes. Think about a scenario when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrives at your business and detains several undocumented workers as part of a raid or even in a response to a routine Notice of Inspection (NOI). Could a significant loss of workforce put you out of business? In addition, DHS fines and penalties are significant and range anywhere from $375 to $16,000 per employee violation. Anyone with a pattern or practice of hiring, recruiting or referring unauthorized aliens can even be put in jail for 6 months.
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