E-Verify

rdf:langString E-Verify

rdf:langString E-Verify is a United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees, both U.S. and foreign citizens, to work in the United States.No federal law mandates use of E-Verify. E-Verify was originally established in 1996 as the Basic Pilot Program to prevent undocumented workers and other people who have violated immigration laws from obtaining employment illegally in the United States. In August 2007, DHS started requiring all federal contractors and vendors to use E-Verify. The Internet-based program is free and maintained by the United States government. Use of E-Verify at the state level varies; some states have mandated use of E-Verify or similar programs, while others have discouraged the program. E-Verify compares information from an employee's Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 to data from U.S. government records. If the information matches, that employee is eligible to work in the United States. If there is a mismatch, E-Verify alerts the employer and the employee is allowed to work while he or she resolves the problem; they must contact the appropriate agency to resolve the mismatch within eight federal government work days from the referral date. The program is operated by the DHS in partnership with the Social Security Administration. According to the DHS website, more than 700,000 employers used E-Verify as of 2018. Research shows that E-Verify harms the labor market outcomes of illegal immigrants and improves the labor market outcomes of Mexican legal immigrants and U.S.-born Hispanics, but has no impact on labor market outcomes for non-Hispanic white Americans. A 2016 study suggests that E-Verify reduces the number of illegal immigrants in states that have mandated use of E-Verify for all employers, and further notes that the program may deter illegal immigration to the United States in general.