Your Options for E-Verify in Alabama

Your Options for E-Verify in Alabama

As Alabama businesses rush to comply with the new Alabama immigration law, many are finding the process of enrolling in E-Verify totally confusing. At the risk of pointing you toward our competition, the following will explain your options and give you the “good” and the “bad” for each. We would love to have you as a client, but it is more important to us that you make the right choice for employee verification. Your options:

Option 1: Enroll Directly in E-Verify

An Alabama employer can enroll in the E-Verify directly by going to the federal Department of Homeland Security web site.  The initial signup will take 15-20 minutes.

The Good

  • It is free to enroll;
  • There is no ongoing fee to participate;
  • It is free to verify a new hire.

The Bad

  • To access the system, you must complete a tutorial and pass a mastery test;
  • It will require four to six hours to gain full access and begin verifying new hires;
  • Whenever the E-Verify system is updated, you will be required to complete another tutorial and test;
  • You must track your own cases to resolution. A portion of your staff’s time will be devoted to managing unresolved cases.

Option 2: Hire an Employer Agent

If you would rather not do it yourself (and there are reasons why you shouldn’t), you can hire an Employer Agent, which is a company or agency authorized to manage your verifications for you. In Alabama, you have two options for signing up with an Employer Agent:

1. Enroll with the Alabama Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program (web site)

The Good

  • It is free to enroll;
  • There is no ongoing fee for participation;
  • No tutorials or tests are required;
  • It is free to verify a new hire.

The Bad*

  • One week or more before enrollment is activated;
  • When you call, you will get an answering machine;
  • It can take a week or more to receive a call back;
  • The state worker that calls you back is not knowledgeable enough to answer more than your basic questions.
  • *(based on our experience)

2. Enroll with Verify I-9

The Good

  • A low, one-time signup fee. There are no monthly or annual fees;
  • No tutorials or tests are required;
  • Fully enrolled in less than 24 hours;
  • Free unlimited support;
  • Friendly, professional, and experienced staff;
  • Online support center and knowledge base;
  • Management of unresolved cases to completion.

The “Bad”

  • We charge for “The Good” listed above. After the one-time signup fee, our cost is $9.95 per new hire

We think that $9.95 is a small price to pay to avoid the headaches associated with E-Verify by letting a professional handle it for you. If you agree, you can sign up here, request more information or contact us with your questions.