The recent Federal government shutdown impacted the economy in ways both seen and unseen. One impact involves the E-Verify system used by many employers to confirm the identity and eligibility of new workers before they are hired. This system helps countless businesses remain in compliance with state and Federal laws regarding the employment of illegal immigrants.
A Lengthy Downtime Period
Employers had begun to feel the real-world impacts of not having the E-Verify system available to them for a time period spanning from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, according to the E-Verify website. However, just because the system is now back up does not mean that things have gotten much easier for employers. They still have the headache of filing new I-9 forms for all employees who were hired when the E-Verify system was down. That amounts to a lot of paperwork both for employers and for the system to handle all at once.
The Importance Of This System
Some may view the E-Verify system as just another creation of a bureaucracy run amok. However, there are other ways to think of it as well. It certain does involve extra work on the shoulders of employers, but the purpose of that work is to maintain a workplace where all workers of legal status to obtain work in the country in the first place. This is done to both protect the employer as well as the other workers at any given business.
The Bottomline
For the time being, all systems are back up and running as they normally would. Employers should note that another potential government shutdown could occur starting on February 15th, 2019. Once again, this could disrupt the functioning of the E-Verify system.
For more information on this program and how it helps to keep you compliant with the law please contact us. We are happy to provide you with answers to your questions.
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