When it comes to new hires, there is no shortage of rules and regulations for employees and employers to comply with. This sentiment holds even more true when it comes to navigating the Form I-9 and E-Verify, but there are six top points employers can get wrong when it comes to these hiring practices. Many of these are not intentional choices to disregard the rules, but rather are the mistaken reliance on ill-informed resources. Intentional or not, inaccurate information can lead to being non-compliant, and that can come with serious punitive consequences.
How Employers Often Get Connected with Inaccurate Information
It is worth restating that by and large, most companies do not make it a point to purposely deviate from standard Form I-9 and E-Verify rules and regulations.
For example, when people do their taxes for themselves, they use the Internal Revenue Service’s tax document but will use informative resources such as tax software to complete it. The document itself explains much of the information needed, but tax software is geared toward streamlining the process so taxpayers will not have to go line by line on the form with painstaking attention to detail. However, if using an inaccurate fly-by-night software program, it can easily create a tax nightmare.
Following the rules and regulations regarding the Form I-9 and E-Verify can work much the same way. Consider the following:
- The Immigration Reform and Control Act which essentially introduced the Form I-9 was passed in 1986.
- The E-Verify program was not established until 1996.
- In the last thirty years, group after group (not all reputable or trustworthy) has established additional resources for navigating the Form I-9 and E-Verify.
- There have been minor yet important changes to these employment verification tools over time.
When considering the amount of time that has passed since these regulations were established and the number of changes that have occurred over that time span, it is more than possible for rules and regulations to be reworded by an uneducated resource in a way that affects the original integrity of the statement. In other words, a resource who is not a stickler for details may present a watered-down version of a rule or regulation that could misrepresent the requirements and create compliance issues for an employer if audited.
The Top 6 Points Employers Can Get Wrong When It Comes to the Form I-9 and E-Verify
While bad information can abound when it comes to these hiring practices, the top 6 points employers can get wrong when it comes to the Form I-9 and E-Verify are:
To ensure you do not get tripped up by the top 6 points employers can get wrong when it comes to the Form I-9 and E-Verify, look for a trusted and well educated resource that offers the knowledge of employment attorneys, a comprehensive understanding of federal laws regarding hiring practices and compliance, and successful and proven digital I-9 software designed to accurately streamline the process.