Federal, State and Local Rules

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) requires U.S. employers to verify the employment eligibility status of newly-hired employees and makes it unlawful for employers to knowingly hire or continue to employ unauthorized workers.

Non-compliance can carry severe penalties, whether or not the violation was intentional or a result of ignorance or oversight. Penalties can include:

• Fines from $100 to $1,100 per incident  for employers who fail to properly complete, retain, or make I-9 Forms available for inspection;
• Fines from $250 to $11,000 per violation for employers who knowingly hire or knowingly continue to employ unauthorized workers;
• Criminal penalties up to $3,000 per unauthorized employee and incarceration of up to six months for employers who engage in a pattern or practice of knowingly hiring or continuing to employ unauthorized workers.

Employers can comply with federal law by exercising due diligence in the completion of Form I-9, `Employment Eligibility Verification.` However, a greater `presumption of innocence` is accorded employers who use the federal eligibility verification program which is offered by Verify I-9, LLC.

Recent immigration reform efforts in the U.S. Congress have contained provisions requiring employers to use the federal employment eligibility verification program as offered by Verify I-9, LLC.

State Law

Several states have enacted their own laws regarding employment eligibility verification. For example, Senate Bill 529 , the "Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act," enacted in Georgia in 2006, requires all public employers (government agencies) and those private employers who enter into a contract or subcontract with the government to verify.

The law in Arizona is even tougher.  Under the Legal Arizona Worker's Act, Intentionally hiring or retaining an ineligible employee can result in the permanent loss of your company's business license.

Verify I-9's services are designed to keep your business in full compliance with Georgia law and similar statutes in other states.

Local Ordinances

Some cities and counties have adopted ordinances aimed at landlords who allow their rental property to be overcrowded with often-illegal immigrants. Those legislative measures have, almost without exception, drawn legal challenges from pro-immigrant interests.

Other jurisdictions have, instead, enacted ordinances that build on the foundation of Georgia's SB-529 and similar laws. For example, Gwinnett County (GA) recently [March 2008] amended its purchasing ordinances to require all companies holding or bidding for county contracts, and their subcontractors, to verify the employment eligibility of new hires.

Verify I-9, LLC's services are uniquely tailored to smaller contractors and sub-contractors who want to qualify for public contracts.