The federal government has postponed (again) until May 21, 2009 implementing the E-Verify regulation for federal contractors, which requires that employers who contract work for the U.S. government use the E-Verify system to check if their employees are legally eligible to work in the country.

This is the second time the federal government has pushed back the E-Verify deadline. The rule requiring approximately 168,000 federal contractors to use E-Verify was originally scheduled to go into effect on January 15, 2009, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) delayed implementation of E-Verify until February 20, 2009 after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and four other business groups filed a lawsuit trying to block the E-Verify requirement.

When President Barack Obama took office, he urged agencies to review new regulations, such as the E-Verify requirement, which had not yet become effective. With this latest delay, E-Verify – an Internet-based system run by the DHS and the Social Security Administration which allows employers to compare the names and Social Security numbers of newly hired employees with government databases – will not be mandatory for federal contractors until May 21, 2009. In the meantime, E-Verify supporters believe that E-Verify is the only way to secure American jobs for American people. More than 100,000 U.S. businesses already use E-Verify voluntarily.

President Obama’s economic stimulus package – the $800 billion-plus American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan – was recently passed in the House and includes a provision extending the E-Verify program for four years and second amendment requiring that E-Verify be used by companies receiving stimulus funds. In addition, two Senators have written a letter arguing that the use of E-Verify’s voluntary citizenship verification program be made mandatory for all businesses benefiting from the stimulus package.

“It is imperative that Congress reauthorize E-Verify and that the administration require companies benefiting from the stimulus package to use the E-Verify system before the first borrowed dollar is spent,” says Dan Stein, president of The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and a supporter of the E-Verify system.

Whatever the outcome of this latest E-Verify delay, employers must remain vigilant with regards to any changes in E-Verify requirements. A designated E-Verify service provider, I-9Compliance.com (http://www.I-9Compliance.com) – a member of the Pre-Employ.com Family of Companies – can help your company reduce risks, eliminate errors, and maintain compliance. To speak to an I-9Compliance.com representative about streamlining your processes and reducing liability, please call 1-800-300-1821 or email sales@i-9Compliance.com.

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