E-Verify+ – A New Tool to Verify Workers
April 24, 2024
Employers soon will have a new tool to verify employees’ identity and work authorization. United States Citizenship and Immigration Service recently announced that it will launch E-Verify+ in the spring of 2024. This new on-line portal will integrate the Form I-9 and employee eligibility processes, which will increase efficiency, reduce errors, and streamline the verification process.
Employers that participate in the E-Verify program currently must complete the Form I-9 for each employee and then transfer the information that is on that form into the E-Verify system. In the event that the system initially cannot verify an employee’s identity and/or work authorization, employers must provide employees with “Further Action Notices” in order to resolve any conflicts due to inaccurate or incorrectly entered information, which creates additional administrative burdens and delays.
E-Verify+ will allow employees to use an electronic, employee-facing portal to input their own personal information and to upload their documentation. After both parties sign off on what the employee shared, the portal will generate a Form I-9. The employer will be able to download and to archive the Form I-9 that the system generates. The new system will allow employees to enter their personal identifiable information in a private and secure setting, while reducing input errors since the employees will be entering their own information.
One of the benefits of E-Verify+ is that the employees will receive direct notifications regarding their employment status. If E-Verify+ confirms their work authorization, the employer will perform an in-person (or remote, if a qualifying employer) examination of the identity document. The employee and the employer thereafter will electronically sign the document, which will generate a completed Form I-9 that can be downloaded and archived by the employer. If, however, their eligibility cannot be immediately verified, E-Verify+ will notify the employee directly as to the next steps to follow in order to complete the verification process. Although the employer will be notified of an information mismatch, the employer will not have to act as a middleman for resolving the conflict, thereby making the process more efficient.
When creating new cases, employers will be able to choose between using the traditional E-Verify system and E-Verify+, and cases of each type will be managed and stored in the same location. Employees will also be able to transfer their eligibility status to subsequent employers.
E-Verify+ was originally published in the Federal Register on June 29, 2023, under the name “E-Verify NextGen.”
Click here to view a downloadable PDF of the legal update.
This Labor & Employment Update is intended to keep readers current on developments in the law and is not intended to be legal advice. If you have any questions, please contact Derek Illar at 412.566.6771, Shannon Spence at 412.566.1918, or any other attorney with whom you have been working.
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