Every US employer is required by law to complete an I-9 form for new employees, in accordance with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services’ requirements for establishing the individual’s identity and eligibility to work. There is an E-Verify process for handling I-9 forms that can assist HR departments in filling out the necessary paperwork electronically, which can significantly improve recruiting efforts. Some basic information about E-Verify can help you determine whether the solution is right for your company.
What is E-Verify? To comply with the requirements of I-9 filing, E-Verify is an online system that compares details from the form to data stored by federal agencies regarding a person’s eligibility to work in the US. Using the system isn’t required at the national level, so not all jurisdictions are impacted; however, there may be a mandate in the near future, which means companies should be considering E-Verify compliant solutions now. Plus, the electronic process helps prevent employers from hiring ineligible employees, which can result in significant penalties and fines.
Benefits of E-Verify to Improve Recruiting
The reasons above are very compelling, but there are additional incentives for companies to implement technology that integrates with the E-Verify system for recruitment purposes.
- Increased Productivity: An integrated electronic solution requires HR personnel to enter data just one time. When the information is input into the I-9 form, it’s also automatically delivered to the E-Verify system. There’s less opportunity for human error and the data entry work is greatly reduced. These are significant benefits for larger organizations with robust recruitment programs or companies that experience larger than average turnover.
- Paperless Documentation & Photo-Matching: E-Verify recently launched photo-matching technology for certain items an employee presents for verification. For those documents subject to photo matching, employers must keep a copy – which requires them to have a system in place for storing and filing in the event of an audit. An automated I-9 system that integrates with E-Verify will alert HR when a qualifying document is presented and stores a scanned copy. The manual process is cumbersome and prone to human error; plus, the right solution makes it easy to retrieve the photo document if auditors request it.
- Compliance Check Features: Employers can face compliance challenges with handling employment eligibility verification, especially considering the I-9 must be submitted within three days of a new hire’s start date. An integrated I-9/E-Verify system issues alerts to assist HR departments in complying with these deadlines. Failing to file proper electronic paperwork by the deadline can subject a company to costly fines and the hassles involved with audits.
An E-Verify solution that automates I-9 completion can reduce many of the paperwork challenges HR departments face when bringing on new employees. The result is a more streamlined recruitment and onboarding process, while still remaining in compliance with USCIS requirements. Paypro’s E-Verify Connector provides seamless integration between E-Verify and our workforce management solution, for a more efficient employee record keeping process. Please contact us for more information.