The Ins and Outs of I-9 and E-Verify: Best Practices to Avoid Steep Penalties

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not letting up. ICE has apparently resolved to continue auditing and inspecting employer compliance.

Correctly completing a Form I-9, that seemingly simple form, involves sifting through gray areas and often conflicting instructions that can prove to be a trap for the unwary, and often most well-intentioned employers. Even seemingly minor “paperwork” violations can land employers in hot water for non-compliance.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

As they say, “The ICE man cometh”. Anyone can claim an employer has not complied with E-Verify and Form I-9 requirements—and worst of all; those claims don’t even have to be true to trigger an audit. If that’s not enough, government agencies are actually starting to “talk” to each other. For example, the US Department of Labor (DOL) communicates with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) communicates with Child Support Services and on and on.

Research shows, however, that audits are often triggered by complaints, which, in turn, most often come from disgruntled employees. Others come from audits of targeted industries. The point is that you cannot assume that you are immune from an I-9 audit.

Attending this webinar will help you understand how to correctly fill out the I-9, and if you have made any mistakes up until now, how to correct them. You will also learn of new developments and some best practices, which should save your company from steep penalties.

AREA COVERED

Key areas to be covered include, without limitation:

• Up-to-date I-9 compliance requirements
• Basic I-9 document review
• Recognize the effect of the new Form I-9 on hiring managers and field personnel
• Understand the new rules for acceptable documents used to verify employment eligibility
• E-Verify - pros and cons
• Understand the impact the new Form I-9 will have on the use of E-Verify
• Conducting a self-audit of your I-9 process
• How to avoid the common errors and omissions including recordkeeping errors
• Update on upcoming ICE I-9 audits
• Penalties for non-compliance
• Understanding civil and criminal penalties
• Walking the fine line between vigilance and illegal overstep when seeking proof of citizenship
• Establish best practices for reducing risks and correcting errors when using the new Form I-9

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this training session, we will cover what you really need to know about Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance as well as strategies for assessing hiring policies and implementing critical changes before ICE comes knocking on the door.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

• HR Directors
• HR Practitioners at all levels
• Employers
• Hiring Managers
• Business Owners
• Senior Managers
• CFO’s
• E-Verify Users