President Obama reiterated his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform Wednesday, but said the overall initiative must go beyond E-Verify – “an effective, though imperfect, tool that needs improvement.” At the press conference in the White House last week, President Obama avoided answering whether he would sign a mandatory E-Verify law if Congress presented one to […]
Joanne Deschenaux’s article on ‘State Immigration Laws Lead to Patchwork of Employment Verification Requirements’ on SHRM site takes a look at the increasing state immigration laws that have been passed in the past few months. The following state bills have been enacted into law in recent months: Alabama: House Bill (HB) 56, enacted June 2, 2011, […]
In June, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a strategic plan for work site enforcement through fiscal year 2014. One of the key initiatives of the plan is enforcement of U.S. immigration-related employment laws, in particular pursuing employers who knowingly violate the laws. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has […]
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has been handed a new bill that makes E-Verify mandatory in the state. This bill follows action taken by Georgia, Alabama and in a small measure North Carolina to tackle illegal immigration in their states. The bill introduced by Sen. Larry Grooms of Bonneau is based on an Arizona law that allows […]
Last week saw Obama administration issuing more than 1000 I-9 audit notices in an effort to monitor I-9 compliance deficiency and track employers who harbor illegal immigrants in their workforce. This move can be seen as a step to intensify a crackdown on the government’s agenda to fight illegal immigration in the country. The surge […]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today launched Records and Information from DMVs for E-Verify (RIDE), a new feature which allows USCIS’s E-Verify program to validate the authenticity of Mississippi driver’s licenses used by employees as Form I-9 identity documents. “RIDE reflects our commitment to continually improving E-Verify,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “This important […]
Rep. Heath Shuler has reintroduced legislation that would mandate use of E-Verify nationwide, strengthen border security and improve enforcement of immigration law. The SAVE Act takes a three-pronged approach to combat illegal immigration through increased border security, mandatory worker verification, and improved interior enforcement. A bipartisan group of 29 Representatives joined Shuler’s efforts by cosponsoring […]
This week saw Alabama governor Robert Bentley sign one of the toughest immigration laws in the country. The 72-page legislation known as HB 56 also touches on issues as diverse as contract law and voter registration. It makes Alabama the fourth state, after Georgia, Utah and Indiana, to follow Arizona’s lead in enacting significant statewide […]
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the re-designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and extended the country’s current TPS designation for 18 months—through Jan. 22, 2013. Secretary Napolitano first announced that she was designating Haiti for TPS on Jan. 15, 2010, after major earthquakes devastated the country. Following consultations with other federal agencies, […]
Due to the time-sensitive nature of agricultural work, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expedites all H-2A “temporary or seasonal agricultural worker” petitions. However, some recent H-2A petitions have experienced unexpected delays due to Requests for Evidence (RFEs) resulting from the use of the Validation Instrument for Business Enterprises (VIBE). As delays in adjudication are […]
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