LABOR LAW NEWS

4 Facts You Didn’t Know About E-Verify

By Kelsey Basten

Published on Jan. 8, 2019

E-Verify has been top of mind for employers for the past few years. It is an internet-based system administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Verification Division and the Social Security Administration. E-Verify uses information from an employee’s I-9 form and Employment Eligibility Verification, the DHS and Department of State (DOS) records to confirm the employee is authorized to work the in the U.S.

Here are a few facts you may not have known about this popular topic:

1. E-Verify stops operations during a federal government shutdown.

During a federal government shutdown, funds are restricted to all areas of government. Once the money runs out, E-Verify stops its operations. For employers, this means they will not be able to process new hires and verify an employee’s eligibility to work. Also, all E-Verify support shuts down. This means employers cannot view cases, change or create an account, or access any customer support.

To learn more about what this means for employers, visit our blog post, Federal Government Shutdown: How Are Employers Affected?

2. The number of participating employers has increased by 744% in the past 10 years.

According to the official website of the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS, the number of employers participating in E-Verify has increased from 88,244 in 2008 to 745,633 at the end of 2017. This is an increase of about 744%, making this the largest number of participating employers ever recorded.

3. E-Verify cannot verify the immigration status of an individual.

The Department of Homeland Security and USCIS official website explains that E-Verify does not actually verify the immigration status of an individual. E-Verify compares the information about from an individual’s I-9 form with SSA and DHS records to verify the individual’s employment eligibility. The system does not share an employee’s immigration status with an employer.

4. E-Verify is not the same as the Social Security Number Verification Service.

E-Verify confirms the individual’s employment eligibility, while the Social Security Number Verification Service verifies an individual’s name matches a Social Security Number (SSN). It is possible for an individual to have a valid SSN but not be authorized to work in the U.S.

Learn More About E-Verify

Check out our tip sheet, E-Verify At-a-Glance, to learn more about the system and how it may affect your labor law compliance strategy.

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