Compliance Stuff

  The Trump administration has already begun to   implement significant changes   in U.S. immigration policy and work authorization enforcement is expected to be a top priority. Employers should review their Form I-9 compliance now and prepare for potential I-9 audits and worksite visits, experts said. “Federal law requires employers to use Form I-9 to document employment eligibility,” said Sarah Hawk, a partner in the Atlanta office of Barnes and Thornburg. “ Although some employers use the paper version of Form I-9, others also participate in E-Verify, a voluntary web-based system that compares information from an existing Form I-9 to government records to confirm an employee’s authorization to work in the U.S.” A surge in I-9 audits is expected under the new administration. “We expect heightened scrutiny on I-9s as the Trump administration enters office,” Hawk said. “We’ve had increased interest from clients seeking legal help on I-9 compliance, and we are conducting s...

  It’s no secret that President-elect Donald Trump intends to carry out what he has called the largest mass deportation in U.S. history shortly after taking office. U.S. employers—particularly those in the manufacturing, food processing, agricultural, construction, and hospitality industries with a relatively unskilled workforce—should immediately prepare for ramped-up government immigration enforcement in the workplace. Employers should get ready to endure a painful process, a sudden loss of workers, and administrative and criminal penalties. Many employers with a substantial nonprofessional workforce have accumulated workers who may be unauthorized to be in the U.S., whether they entered the country undocumented or overstayed. Employers have been required since 1986 to check the documents of new hires to confirm their identity and work authorization in completing Form I-9, but those documents are easily faked. A rising number of employers have opted or been required to use the g...