It has been illegal to employ unauthorized workers since 1986. Increasingly over the past few years, Immigration & Customs Enforcement has focused significant attention on employer compliance, often leading to employer sanctions and sometimes even criminal charges for employers found to be in violation of the law.

Puri Law can help protect your company by ensuring that it is in proper compliance with federal regulations.

I-9 Compliance
Our law firm helps our business clients properly comply with I-9 requirements. The attorneys at Puri Law are available to review your I-9 files to ensure that you are in compliance with applicable federal regulations and help you avoid penalties and sanctions.

What is an I-9 form? The I-9 is the Employment Eligibility Verification form issued by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services. Since 1986, employers have been required to use the Form I-9 to verify both the identity and employment eligibility of all employees. Employees must prove work eligibility and complete the I-9 within three days of hire.

Employers must make I-9 forms available for inspection by government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Labor, and the Office of Special Counsel. Common I-9 violations include knowingly employing foreign nationals who do not have work authorization and not properly maintaining I-9 forms on employees as required. The penalties for I-9 violations can include monetary fines, debarment from bidding for government contracts, criminal prosecution and the seizure of company assets.
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E-Verify
E-Verify is an Internet-based system run by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services with the Social Security Administration which allows employers to verify that an employee has work authorization. By and large, E-Verify is a voluntary system, however, an increasing number of states are requiring employers to use E-Verify for all newly-hired employees and as of September 8, 2009, employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that contain the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause are required to use E-Verify to determine the employment eligibility of certain employees.
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If you would like to schedule an I-9 compliance audit or learn more about E-Verify, contact us.