Federal Laws
Employment Eligibility Verification via Form I-9 became effective in November 1986. Any hire made on or after November 7, 1986 must be verified via Form I-9. Failure to properly complete the I-9 documentation for an employee could result in fines of up to $110 per form. In addition, knowingly employing an unauthorized worker can result in fines of up to $375 per worker. It is easy to see how quickly the dollars can add up if your company does not have an effective I-9 program.
General Information
The regulations and instructions related to the I-9 process consist of over 80 pages of materials covering complex concepts such as retention dates, non-immigrant visa statuses, and re-verification rules. Not only is the sheer volume of material overwhelming, it changes – in some way or another – about every two years. If you are not on top of your game, the small details and ever-changing rules might someday cost your company thousands, if not millions, of dollars.
The government instructions are available at: http://www.uscis.gov/I-9Central