Good News for Employers Who E-Verify – Testing Phase of Enhanced Version is in Process

Posted by: Karen Booher on July 11th, 2024

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that E-Verify+, the enhanced version of E-Verify, entered its testing phase on June 25, 2024. This trial launch will include live testing and assessment of the user experience. Feedback from the testing will be incorporated when E-Verify+ is released for wider use.

E-Verify+ will integrate the Form I-9 process with E-Verify and will shift much of the process away from HR to the new hires themselves.

How Will It Work?

• Under the updated process, new hires would electronically enter their biographic information, citizenship or immigration status, and acceptable identity documents into E-Verify+ using their secure personal account.
• Once the system confirms the employee’s identity and employment eligibility, it notifies the employer, who will finish the verification by examining the documents.
• The submitted information will be used to create a completed Form I-9 that the employer can download and store.

How Will the Current Process Be Improved With E-Verify+?

• The current process relies on employers to correctly enter information on the completed Form I-9 and then transcribe that information into E-Verify. This practice is less secure and sometimes results in data entry errors that can lead to E-Verify mismatches.
• With E-Verify+, new hires would be notified if further action is needed to determine their employment eligibility, and they would resolve E-Verify mismatches directly with the government, eliminating the need for the employer to act as an intermediary and create a more secure and private process that can speed up case resolution, according to USCIS.
• Employees would also be able to carry their verification status with them when they change jobs. Currently, employees and employers must complete a new Form I-9 and enter a new E-Verify case each time the employee starts a new job – this need would no longer be required once the process is completed the first time.

Are Colorado Employers Required to Use E-Verify?

E-Verify is still voluntary for Colorado employers, with the exception of federal contractors. 10 U.S. states require employers to use E-Verify, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah.

J. Kent Staffing Voluntarily E-Verifies All of Its Employees

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Source:

SHRM HR  Daily Newsletter, July 10, 2024, “Enhanced E-Verify Begins Testing Phase”, By Roy Maurer, July 9, 2024.