The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook: A Guide to Employment Verification and Compliance

The Problem: In 2017, employers across the United States have been assessed millions of dollars in civil penalties for I-9 violations and employment discrimination. In addition, some companies are having their business licenses revoked and state contracts denied and/or revoked when they are found to have hired unauthorized employees.

Employers are being targeted for a variety of criminal sanctions, including harboring illegal aliens and money laundering, in addition to the criminal penalties contained in the employer sanctions and anti-discrimination clauses within the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA).

Twenty-three states have now passed employer sanctions laws; and of those 23 states, 8 states require all employers who meet jurisdictional standards to use E-Verify, while 12 states require contractors working with state or local governments to participate in E-Verify.

The Solution: The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook: A Guide to Employment Verification and Compliance provides comprehensive information on a topic that affects every employer in the country regardless of whether the company hires foreign employees.

Written by Bruce E. Buchanan and Greg Siskind, two of the nation’s top business immigration and employment/labor attorneys, The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook serves as a one-stop shop for those who need to know the intricacies of the I-9, E-Verify, and anti-discrimination laws and regulations governing the U.S. workforce.

In 2007, after President George W. Bush’s efforts to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform failed in Congress, enforcement began to increase at the federal level. During the first six years of President Barack Obama’s administration, worksite enforcement increased to unprecedented levels, and it has begun to increase under President Donald Trump.

Because Buchanan and Siskind have represented U.S. employers of all sizes in immigration, employment/labor law, and worksite compliance, they have written The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook as a guide for human resource professionals, recruiters, attorneys, and even government officials who need to understand the array of compliance-related statutes and regulations.

The Handbook is organized in an easy-to-understand, question-and-answer format with illustrations, checklists, and sample documents, which give the reader the tools to implement and improve any employment compliance program.

The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook contains detailed answers to the most common questions about the I-9 and E-Verify process, such as:

•What is the Form I-9 and when must it be completed?•What is the employee’s/employer’s responsibility when completing Form I-9?•Does an independent contractor need to complete a Form I-9?•Can an employer specify which documents to accept from an employee?•What if an employee changes his or her name?•What are the Form I-9 re-verification requirements?•What is E-Verify and how does it work?•What are the best ways to prevent being prosecuted for Form I-9 employer violations?•When would an employer be considered to have “constructive knowledge” of unlawful immigration status?•How is a complaint filed for an Immigration Reform and Control Act anti-discrimination violation?

And many more!

Bruce E. Buchanan is a founding partner at Sebelist Buchanan Law PLLC with offices in Nashville and Atlanta. He represents employers and individuals in all aspects of immigration law, with a special emphasis on employer immigration compliance and employment/labor law matters. Additionally, he is Of Counsel to Siskind Susser PC regarding employer immigration-compliance matters. Bruce authors a blog at www.employerimmigration.com on employer immigration compliance and is a regular contributor to HR Professionals magazine. Bruce has been interviewed by Bloomberg BNA, Workcompcentral.com, and WSMV-TV concerning various immigration-related stories. He has written articles for many publications, including LawLogix’s blog, LexisNexis Legal Newsroom, the Society for Human Resource Management’s website, Bender’s Immigration Bulletin, Law360, Employment Law Strategist, and The Tennessee Insurer magazine.

Greg Siskind is one of America’s best-known immigration attorneys. His firm, Siskind Susser PC (www.visalaw.com), has one of the largest health care immigration practices in the United States and represents many of the nation’s largest hospitals and hospital systems, as well as smaller health care employers, individual health care professionals, and other medical institutions. Greg has been interviewed by more than 100 publications, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Modern Healthcare, NPR’s All Things Considered, and Bloomberg BNA. Greg was named to the top 10 list of most distinguished lawyers in North America by Who’s Who in Corporate Immigration Law and is one of the top 25 immigration lawyers in the United States according to Chambers and Partners.