Today all job seekers know verification is a big part of employment. Verification of identity, references, work history and eligibility all very normal things, however it wasn’t until 1986 that employers were required to do so. The Immigration and Control Act of 1986 lead to the Employment Eligibility Verification or Form I-9, which we all know very well. Since there have been advances in processing and storing such information, including E-Verify, an online program that will compare, process and verify employee information. In 2001, 1,064 employers enrolled in the pilot program for E-Verify and today over 400,000 employers use it for their verification needs, according to USCIS.
Although E-Verify is a popular program, its use not required in every state and some employers have not made up their mind about it. Why? Some don’t know what it is, others don’t know how to use it and a majority debate security issues. Here is a brief overview of E-Verify, how it works and the systems security.
What is E-Verify:
E-Verify is an online system that processes an employees I-9 and verifies the information with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records. The data is compared and matched to the proper records, allowing an employer to know immediately of any red flags.
How it Works:
Any employer may enroll in E-Verify as long as they agree to the terms of use with an electronic signature. E-Verify is very business friendly and works in three easy steps.
- Have the employee complete an I-9.
- Process the information: employer enters information into E-Verify system.
- Receive Results: E-Verify will display eligibility, prompting further actions if needed
How Secure is it:
E-Verify is committed to privacy, using extensive measures to ensure that employee’s sensitive information receives the highest level of protection. To ensure safety and security five areas are addressed, each with a different focus on privacy.
These are:
- Transparency – E-Verify works very hard to communicate to the public everything it does from collecting information to how it is used.
- Responsibility – They hold all federal employees and contractors accountable for how they treat and use information. Misuse is considered a crime and will result to consequences.
- Use – E-Verify only uses necessary information to verify identity and authorization.
- Security – They have implemented an extensive set of security systems to ensure sensitive information stays confidential.
- Training – All users of E-Verify must complete an online tutorial and pass the E-Verify test before processing an employee’s information.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services continue to enhance the system always looking to improve its safety and keep it user-friendly. Recently it was announced the system now is capable of placing a hold on SSN’s that appear to be stolen. The hope is to cut down on identity theft and fraud.
Being easy to use and secure, E-Verify is the smart choice for any employer. Active Screening offers many paperless solutions to employers through our ACTivate technology, including: E-Verify, applicant entry and clinical services. For more information please visit https://www.activescreening.com/technology/.
