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Verification of Employee Eligibility & Indentification
May 12, 2006
Fraud-Fighter Products™ offers equipment that can be easily, inexpensively and effectively used to authenticate the documents presented by prospective new employees at the time of hire to verify their identification and employment eligibility.
It is the responsibility of every U.S. employer to make a diligent effort to verify the identity and employment eligibility of any person they hire. Most employers believe that their liability in connection with this responsibility ends with the completion of a Form I-9 for each new hire. However, forward-thinking companies should be taking proactive steps to prepare for any changes to the immigration laws that may be coming out of the current legislative sessions in congress, as well as taking steps that show that they are making a “diligent effort” to satisfy the “standards of review” section of the I-9 instructions, which detail the need to verify that new employee documents are genuine.
According to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS)
All U.S. employers are responsible for completion and retention of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens. On the form, the employer must verify the employment eligibility and identity documents presented by the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9.
How, then, should employers effectively and accurately verify the employment documentation?
The Fraud-Fighter™ line of ultra-violet products provides one potential solution. A little known fact is that most of the documents being presented by prospective employees to verify their identity and employment eligibility can be authenticated using ultra-violet light. This includes state driver licenses from 39 U.S. states, many types of Alien Residency and Employment Authorization cards issued by the BCIS, passports (both US and foreign), birth certificates and Social Security cards.
The I-9 document review instructions state “An I-9 List document is acceptable if it reasonably appears on its face (1) to be genuine and (2) to relate to the individual who presents it.” However, no definition is given of what is “reasonable.” By implementing a document verification process that utilizes a Fake-Finder Products™ UV device, companies can show that they have proactively addressed this issue, and taken steps to “diligently” verify the genuineness of their employees’ documentation.
For questions about how you can implement a program for your company, please feel free to contact us.
www.fraud-fighter.com; 800-883-8822
