ICE Changes IMAGE for Business Owners to Help with I-9 Form Compliance

Say the word “ice” to business owners these days and many will think of possible fines and penalties because of I-9 Form non-compliance instead of frozen water.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – the largest and primary investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – is responsible for enforcing the nation’s customs and immigration laws. Established in 2003, ICE combats unlawful employment and reduces vulnerabilities that help illegal aliens gain employment in the United States.

One such vulnerability is the presence of undocumented workers who have secured jobs by fraudulent means, including presentation of false documents for the Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) Form, completion of fraudulent benefit applications, and theft of identities. During 2008, ICE made over 6,000 arrests related to worksite enforcement, and 135 of them were employers, not employees.

More and more, ICE is not only targeting illegal aliens, but is also holding employers accountable, including individual executives, managers, and former managers who actually hired the illegal workers. Non-compliance for business owners can include knowingly employing illegal aliens, or even failure to properly maintain I-9 Form documents on legal employees. This non-compliance with I-9 Forms can result in fines in varying amounts and forfeiture of company assets.

To help business owners to make sure they are employing people who are legally allowed to work in the U.S. and maintain I-9 Form compliance, ICE has developed IMAGE – ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers —to help employers develop more secure workforces and to increase awareness about fraudulent documents.

By voluntarily participating in the IMAGE program, companies can reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents during the I-9 Form, while also receiving education and training on proper hiring procedures, fraudulent document detection, use of the E-Verify employment eligibility verification program, and anti-discrimination procedures.

While participating in a government controlled Employment Eligibility Verification (EEV) system such as E-Verify and the IMAGE self-policing program are important steps toward full compliance with state and federal legislation, not every company is able to dedicate time, money, and staff members in order to maintain a fully compliant employment eligibility program.

Recently, many employers have used third party I-9 Form compliance software to conduct the employment eligibility verification process in order to help them maintain proper employment records, limit the possibility of violating DHS and ICE regulations, and avoid government audits. These software programs electronically enter information to the I-9 Form for instant verification with government agencies while also providing a reliable and efficient electronic storage system of documents for quick and easy retrieval.

Pre-Employ.com – a leading provider of pre-employment screening solutions – offers an I-9Compliance.com service to help employers outsource all of their I-9 Form and E-Verify needs at minimal cost. A designated E-Verify service provider, I-9Compliance.com's user friendly and seamless I-9 Form solution reduces risks and liability, virtually eliminates errors, maintains full compliance, and improves the economy by ensuring jobs for legal Americans.

For more information, call 1-800-300-1821 to speak to an I-9Compliance.com Service Representative, email sales@i-9Compliance.com, or visit www.i-9compliance.com.

Contact Us @ I-9Compliance.com

tahearn@pre-employ.com

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