From the May 2008 issue of Ceridian Connection

Immigration reform and employment verification remains a hot topic with employers across the nation. The Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency have proposed or implemented new rules and regulations affecting employers and how they process employment verification. And eight states have recently implemented their own rules.

As fines for companies who hire undocumented workers increase, Ceridian's advice to employers is clear: make sure you verify.

Know your workforce
"According to the Department of Homeland Security," says Lisa Hart, Ceridian product manager for Talent Acquisition and Management, "there are 11-12 million illegal immigrants in the United States today. Many employers need immigrant labor to survive, and they know that they must use the I-9 process to verify the employment eligibility of every person hired. But up until now, the system hasn't worked very well."

Jill Barber, Ceridian compliance manager for regulations, agrees. "The government has required employers to demand documents that establish a person's eligibility for work, but hasn't provided an easy way for employers to ascertain if the documents are legitimate. This has created a thriving industry: the creation of counterfeit documents. It's hard for employers to tell if a document is valid or not, and they worry that they might face discrimination charges if they inspect documents too closely."

New regulations, rising fines
The employment of illegal immigrants within our borders continues to get attention from regulatory agencies. "Some states are passing regulations that require some or all employers to use electronic verification of documentation presented," says Hart. "Since the federal government hasn't fully formed their own regulations, there are now eight states that have stepped in with current or pending regulations, and each are a little different. These states are Arizona, Mississippi, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Utah."

"When an illegal alien is knowingly employed, the impact on employers can be severe," Barber confirms. "Arrest is possible -- for HR staffers as well as for executives. Though it's not usual for a first violation to be prosecuted, you can get a maximum of six months in prison for each illegal alien knowingly employed. And the fines for knowingly employing an unauthorized alien were increased by about 25 percent effective March 27 of this year. This is a situation that HR just can't ignore. It's time to take action."

Electronic verification is the key to success
"Ceridian is at the forefront of this important issue," Hart says. "We now offer an I-9 solution to handle storage of documentation along with a strong I-9 with E-Verify solution that assists employers in complying with regulations regarding the verification of documentation they collect. With these solutions, HR can act to protect their companies. And at the same time, the collection, management and storage of I-9 information goes paperless. There's no better way to save time and money."

Ceridian I-9 Processing
This service provides you with a simple and easy-to-use system that eliminates the administrative hassles involved with completing, organizing and maintaining I-9 forms. By quickly and easily gathering new hire data and completing the I-9, you'll streamline the verification, signature and storage process. Forms can be completed quickly, correctly and in full compliance with state and federal law -- and you'll see fewer input errors, too. With this electronic solution, you can easily search signed I-9 forms from your desktop and view all modifications through an audit report. There are no paper forms to copy and file. There's no need to transfer I-9 forms to microfilm or microfiche.

Ceridian I-9 with E-Verify
This service takes the guesswork out of determining an employee's status. You no longer need to act as a "quasi-immigration agent," because Ceridian I-9 with E-Verify involves verification checks of Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security databases. Using an automated system to verify the employment authorization of all newly hired employees, you can quickly learn if employment is authorized.

"When it comes to state and federal regulations regarding employment of illegal aliens," Hart says, "HR professionals are the ones who'll wind up with the responsibility to make compliance happen in the real world. That's why we offer these streamlined I-9 solutions. When it comes to protecting your company, we advise you to trust, but always E-Verify."

Contact your Ceridian representative to learn more about Ceridian's I-9 solutions.