Employer's ability to verify the new hires personal identity and employment eligibility electronically through website access is commonly known as E-Verify.
At this time, E-Verify system is still optional participation for many employers but required for certain employers. Employers in many states have been using this cross agency E-Verify system to verify an employee's employment eligibility, and the system is also used by many states to identiy undocumented workers. Because the system's many flaws and protests from businesses, immigrant advocates and civil rights groups, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of US Homeland Security, has recently ordered a review of the program. USA Today published an article by Thomas Frank and you can click here to read the original article titled "Use of federal database for ID checks hits some bumps."
Nationwide, there are now over 100,000 US employers participated in the E-Verify program, most of them voluntarily and some of them required. USCIS has just announced last week that the original implementation date of Feb. 2, 2009 in using the newer edition of Form I-9 has now been postponed to April, 3, 2009, and all US employers are advised to continue using the current I-9 form with an edition dated June 5, 2007, until furhter notice.
If you want to know more about E-Verify or have some specific questions about I-9 compliance, you may email your questions to:
Thank you.