In the Final Decision and Order dated April 27, 2016, Administrative Law Judge Ellen K. Thomas ordered Golden Employment Group, Inc. (Golden Employment), a staffing and temporary-employment company, to pay
Continue Reading Employer’s Use of E-verify is Not a Substitute for Completing I-9 Forms, Fined More Than $200K in Civil Penalties
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The New STEM OPT Program: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The new STEM OPT program became effective on May 10, 2016, and represents a complete overhaul of how this program has operated since 2008. For the uninitiated, STEM stands for…
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OSC Issues Updated Guidance on Internal I-9 Audits and Determining Validity of Documentation Provided
The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) issued an updated Technical Assistance Letter (TAL) on Jan. 7, 2016, relating to an employer’s internal Form I-9 audit…
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Intra-agency Initiative Produces Guidance on Internal I-9 Audits, Worker Protections
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) teamed up to address common questions that arise when employers …
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ICE Increases its Enrollment in IMAGE by 12.5% in One Day!
U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) announced that it has signed up 25 Puerto Rican companies to its IMAGE system, increasing the total number of companies enrolled in its program to approximately 225 employers. This represents a 12.5% increase in enrollment for a federal program that had not previously gained much traction with US employers. By way of background, IMAGE is a Federal program, established in 2006, that is best described as E-Verify Plus, with ICE giving employers a two-year audit pass as long as they pass a minimum compliance threshold, including having ICE forensic auditors review company historical I-9 records.
So, what is going on in Puerto Rico to cause 25 companies to enroll on the same day? For now we have no answers, but it could be part of a government initiative to mitigate fines against the affected employers pursuant to an active I-9 investigation. One thing is for sure, the local USCIS office has been successful in its IMAGE recruiting drive. In the meantime, let’s address the benefits IMAGE gives employers:
Continue Reading ICE Increases its Enrollment in IMAGE by 12.5% in One Day!
Yet Another Strike Against Form I-9 Prepopulation
The Department of Justice’s Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices has joined the growing chorus of government agencies speaking out against the practice of prepopulating Section…
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Tips on Responding to a Notice of Inspection from ICE
When Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) decides to perform an audit of a company’s Employment Eligibility Verification forms (Form I-9), they will issue a Notice of Inspection (NOI). Providing a…
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Finish Up Your Spring Cleaning: Review Your Forms I-9
A recent decision from the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (OCAHO) serves as a good reminder to make sure your company’s Forms I-9 are in order. In U.S. v …
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