E-Verify is a part of everyday life for most hiring managers. But there may be some aspects of E-Verify that many employers don’t know about. For instance, have you heard about E-Verify’s RIDE program? How about E-Verify’s self check or employer database? These lesser known programs offer certain features that may be of interest to both employers and their applicants.

Subscribe to our email list to be alerted of our next blog post:
Name Email *

E-Verify Map

View U.S. State E-Verify Map

Take a RIDE with E-Verify

The Records and Information from DMVs for E-Verify RIDE program was developed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to validate the authenticity of applicant’s driver’s licenses used by employers as Form I-9 identity documents. With over 80 percent of applicants using their driver’s license to establish their identity when completing the Form I-9, the goal of this program is to decrease instances of document fraud and promote a legal workforce. In states where the RIDE program has been implemented, an applicant’s driver’s license data is compared to state records, thus confirming authenticity. When presented with a driver’s license, employers are simply asked to enter the license number and expiration date into the E-Verify system which will automatically check the information against state records. The RIDE program does not display the driver’s license photo, but the information will be checked for validity and a tentative non-confirmation will be issued if the information does not match.

RIDE is a voluntary program which four states currently participate in: Mississippi, Florida, Idaho and Iowa. Employers are affected by the RIDE program when employees present a driver’s license from any of these four states, regardless of where the employer is located. For instance, if an employer participating in E-verify program was located in Pennsylvania and had a new hire with an Iowa driver’s license, the employer would be prompted to enter the new hire’s driver’s license information and that information would be checked against state records as a part of the E-Verify process. Learn more about the E-Verify RIDE Program.

Check it Out

E-Verify self check program allows workers to check their employment eligibility in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Island, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (no less!). The ability to self check one’s status allows individuals the ability to view and correct any errors that may occur within the system prior to being hired. Use of this program leads to less instances of tentative non-confirmations (TNC) and therefore helps to speed up the hiring process for certain applicants. Learn more about the E-Verify self check program.

E-Verify the E-Verifiers

E-Verify also offers a free search tool which allows individuals the ability to search and view profiles of employers who currently use the E-Verify program. This E-Verify Employers Search Tool offers a user-friendly search tool allows the public to search for businesses using one or all of the search parameters including: employer’s name, city, state, and/or zip code. The search tool also allows the user to filter results according to federal contractor identifier (y/n), federal contractor employee verification, and workforce size. Although the system offers many benefits, users may experience a few bumps in the road. There are instances where employers may not show up in the database. For starters, the database only contains employers and federal contractors who have self reported their company of five or more employees. Secondly, not all business locations may be found. Employers provide a single contact address as well as the address where the employers conduct E-Verify searches, regardless of the number of company locations. Additionally, employers may be difficult to locate because they register with E-verify under their legal name, which may differ from their more widely known trade name. Try the E-Verify Employers Search Tool today! E-Verify Employers Search Tool.

According to the USCIS, there are currently half a million employers using E-Verify, at 1.5 million worksites. Several states have mandated the use of E-Verify and many more have pending legislation.

For more information on E-Verify or Justifacts Electronic I-9 System, please contact us at (800) 356-6885 or email us at Sales@justifacts.com.

It is important to note that Justifacts is providing this information as a service to our clients. None of the information contained herein should be construed as legal advice, nor is Justifacts engaged to provide legal advice. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult your attorney or legal department if you want assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.

On October 17th, 2013 the U.S. Government reopened. Now that the shutdown is over human resource professionals need to know how the new start up process will work when ordering employment searches that are performed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Social Security Administration (SSA).

Subscribe to our email list to be alerted of our next blog post:
Name Email *

The USCIS has published the following statement in reference to E-Verify Availability:

E-Verify has resumed operations following the federal government shutdown. All E-Verify features and services are now available.

Information for Employers

Form I-9

The Form I-9 requirements were not affected during the federal government shutdown. All employers must complete and retain a Form I-9 for every person hired to work for pay in the United States during the shutdown.

E-Verify

Employees who received a Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC)
If an employee had a TNC referred between September 17, 2013 and September 30, 2013 and was not able to resolve the TNC due to the federal government shutdown, add 12 federal business days to the date printed on the ‘Referral Letter’ or ‘Referral Date Confirmation.’ Employees have until this new date to contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resolve their cases. If you have an employee who decided to contest his or her TNC while E-Verify was unavailable, you should now initiate the referral process in E-Verify. Employers may not take any adverse action against an employee because of a TNC.

Employees who received a SSA Final Nonconfirmation (FNC) or DHS No Show result
If an employee received a Final Nonconfirmation (FNC) or No Show because of the federal government shutdown, please close the case and select “The employee continues to work for the employer after receiving a Final Nonconfirmation result,” or “The employee continues to work for the employer after receiving a No Show result.” The employer must then enter a new case in E-Verify for that employee. These steps are necessary to ensure the employee is afforded the opportunity to timely contest and resolve the Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC) that led to the FNC result.

Creating Cases: Three-Day Rule
You must create an E-Verify case for each employee hired during or otherwise affected by the shutdown by November 5, 2013. If you are prompted to provide a reason why the case is late (i.e., does not conform to the three-day rule), select ‘Other’ from the drop-down list of reasons and enter ‘federal government shutdown’ in the field.

Federal Contractor Deadlines
During the federal government shutdown, federal contractors could not enroll or use E-Verify as required by the federal contractor rule. If your organization missed a deadline because E-Verify was unavailable or if it has an upcoming deadline for complying with the federal contractor rule, please follow the instructions above and notify your contracting officer of these instructions.

CBSV Searches

The integrated process for the Consent Based Social Security Verification system provided by the Social Security Administration is currently unavailable. The SSA has provided an estimated restart date of 10/21/13.

How will the shut down affect my order process with Justifacts?

Justifacts is currently processing E-Verify orders to the USCIS. All orders that were sent to Justifacts between September 30th and October 17th will be processed and completed by the end of the business day. CBSV searches are delayed and will be processed as soon as the SSA Web Services team has the system up and running. Justifacts will be checking the system periodically in case of an unannounced restart.

Justifacts will continue to provide necessary updates about the shutdown once they are available.

Special Announcement to all State of Georgia employers :

The State of Georgia recently passed the “Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011”. This law requires most Georgia employers to utilize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s E-verify program to ensure that an employee is authorized to work in the United States. The law’s implementation date is staggered based on an employers’ total number of employees – 01/01/12 for any business w/ 500 or more employees; 07/01/12 for any business w/ 100 or more employees; 07/01/13 for any business w/ 10 or more employees. July is also an important date for employers in the State of North Carolina that require businesses w/ 25 or more employees to perform E-Verify on newly hired employees. (North Carolina Bill requires more employers to use E-Verify)

Subscribe to our email list to be alerted of our next blog post:
Name Email *

E-Verify Map

View U.S. State E-Verify Map

The federal E-verify program requires employers to verify the information provided by newly hired employees during the I-9 process against information contained in federal databases maintained by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration.

The complete text can be found here: State of Georgia House Bill No. 87

Justifacts recommends that you consult with your legal department to determine what changes, if any, need to be made to your hiring process in order to comply with this law.

For your information, Justifacts is a recognized “Designated Agent” for the E-verify program and can easily integrate this process into your current background screening process. Contact your Justifacts Sales Manager for more information on participating in the E-verify program.

It is important to note that Justifacts is providing this information as a service to our clients. None of the information contained herein should be construed as legal advice, nor is Justifacts engaged to provide legal advice. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult your attorney or legal department if you want assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.

The staff at Justifacts has been so impressed with the great questions that our clients and visitors to our site come up with, that we decided it was time for a Frequently Asked Questions post. For this blog, we didn’t want to just make up our own questions and answer them, but rather answer the real questions that we are most often asked. In order to do this, we delved deep into our website analytics and pulled a list of the most common questions visitors are asking when searching our site. We hope that you find the questions useful and our answers informative.

Subscribe to our email list to be alerted of our next blog post:
Name Email *

Q: Which States have a criminal state repository?

A: Most states have a central repository they use to track known criminals. Typically these repositories are run by the State Police or the Department of Public Safety in a particular state and each has its own requirements for the availability of records as well as what type of information is released. In general, statewide criminal repositories obtain records from the counties and are dependent upon the courts in each county to forward case information in a timely and complete manner. Due to this reliance upon the counties to forward information, state repository records may not be complete or accurate.

Q: How long does a background check take with Justifacts?

A: Justifacts’ normal turnaround time to process background searches is 24-72 hours.

Q: What should an applicant expect from a Justifacts background check?

A: An applicant can rest assured that Justifacts will provide a professional, thorough background check. At Justifacts we are diligent in protecting your privacy and will only share information with your employer. A verification specialist may have to contact you if additional information is needed to complete your background check. If that is the case, you count on us to work with you in a helpful and courteous manner.

Q: Can Justifacts verify a high school diploma?

A: Yes Justifacts can verify a high school diploma. Our degree verification process includes the authentication of high school diplomas, GED’s, trade certificates, and post-secondary degrees. Justifacts confirms the candidate’s dates of attendance and the type of degree that was earned.

Q: Can you randomly have employees fill out a new I-9 Form?

A: No, the Form I-9 is to be completed by all new employees within three days of hire date. There are some occasions where a new I-9 form can be completed, including but not limited to, rehire with the same employer and significant change in personal information.

Q: Does the State of Pennsylvania require E-Verify?

A: The State of Pennsylvania only requires public works state contractors and subcontractors to enroll and use E-Verify. For more information on Pennsylvania E-Verify laws view our blog post Understanding E-Verify Laws and Their Affect On Pennsylvania Businesses.

Q; Does the state of West Virginia require E-Verify?

A: Currently, the State of West Virginia does not have a state-wide E-Verify requirement. The states that do have some form of E-Verify requirement are Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.

Q: Can you provide an example of an employment background check from Justifacts?

A: Justifacts does provide the opportunity to view a sample report. Click here to view our Sample Report.

Q: How far back do Justifacts background checks go?

A: A Justifacts’ background check typically goes back five to seven years.

Q: Why am I getting a call from Justifacts Credential Verification?

A: Justifacts is a pre-employment background screening service that provides accurate, cost effective, comprehensive background screening services to corporations, non profits, healthcare providers, and educational institutions. There are several reasons that an individual would potentially receive a phone call from Justifacts. One possible reason may be that a work colleague has listed you as a professional reference. We certainly appreciate you returning our phone calls as quickly as possible. We understand your time is important and you can count on our verification specialists to conduct all interviews in a professional, efficient and respectful manner.

Q: What are the benefits and costs of a unified court record search?

A: The implementation of unified court systems has presented an opportunity for Justifacts to provide a comprehensive, statewide criminal record search in a timely, cost-effective manner. This search contains the most up to date criminal information available and can be considered the best option for a court record search in those states utilizing a unified system. If you are interested in more information about unified court record searches and would like pricing information, please contact us.

Still have questions? Feel free to be part of our Frequently Asked Questions by commenting on this blog or contacting a salesperson. We love hearing from you!

On April 17th the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” (Sens. Charles Schumer, John McCain, Richard Durbin, Lindsey Graham, Robert Menendez, Marco Rubio, Michael Bennet, and Jeff Flake) introduced their bill, S.744 the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act”. Although much of the immigration debate is controversial, there is one mandate of particular importance to employers that seems to have across the aisle support. That mandate is the requirement for all employers to use E-Verify to assist them in determining the eligibility of employees to work in the United States. E-Verify has backing from powerful lobby groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Homebuilders. It is also receiving bipartisan support from conservatives such as Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) as well as President Barack Obama. In March, Congress granted additional funding to the E-Verify program which indicates Congress’ support and signals E-Verify is here to stay regardless of the passage of the S.744 bill.

Subscribe to our email list to be alerted of our next blog post:
Name Email *

E-Verify, S.744, and How it Pertains to You

E-Verify is an Internet based verification system that is administered by the Department of Homeland Security. The system requires employers to input employee information from the I-9 form. This information is then compared to that contained in DHS and Social Security Administration databases to determine if an employee is authorized to work in the United States. E-Verify provides verification to 98.7 percent of queries within three seconds.

S.744 will mandate the use of E-Verify for every employer. The bill provides a phased in approach over a period of five years after the enactment, the schedule would be as follows:

• Employers with more 5,000 employees will be phased in within two years
• Employers with more than 500 employees will be phased in within three years
• ALL Employers, including agricultural employers, will be phased in within four years

E-Verify Map

View U.S. State E-Verify Map

Failure to verify work authorization through E-Verify after the mandatory enrollment date raises a presumption that the employer knowingly hired an unauthorized worker, which could trigger audits and/or penalties.

As of April 2013, the use of E-Verify is on the rise. Several states have mandated the use of E-Verify for all employers. In addition, the federal government requires the use of E-Verify for many federal contractors. If you are currently using E-Verify, consider yourself ahead of the game. If you have not started using E-Verify it may be time to consider it.

Justifacts Can Help

Justifacts is a recognized “Employer Agent” for the E-Verify program. As an employer agent, Justifacts is able to process E-Verify requests for any participating employer. Justifacts has designed a Paperless I-9 System that seamlessly integrates with the E-Verify system. Our clients enjoy the ability to utilize this I-9/E-Verify system as part of a package or as a stand-alone service.

If you would like more information on E-Verify and how Justifacts can help, please feel free to contact us at (800) 356-6885 or email us at Sales@justifacts.com.