The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently added a dedicated Q&A webpage to their site to address the new temporary Form I-9 and E-Verify policies that have been implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Business leaders are focused on markets and the Coronavirus--as they should be--but they also need to be aware of another looming deadline at the end of April when the prior version of the I-9 form--which is the most fined government form and is required for all legally employed workers--becomes obsolete. 

Despite the spread of COVID-19 halting a lot of businesses, companies like Amazon and grocers such as Albertsons, Kroger and Raley’s are hiring. 

“Getting it wrong is too easy with most I-9 and immigration systems. We know the pain, and that’s why we’ve spent two decades working with government organizations and top immigration attorneys to deliver a comprehensive platform that keeps employers and their counsel safe. We’re proud to stand beside your team when it matters most.”

The I-9 form is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. The form must be completed by all US employers for every individual that they hire domestically. Both employees and employers are required to accurately complete the form. Failure to do so, or do so properly can result in an audit and/or fine.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, is the enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for conducting Form I-9 audits. Over the past few years, the number of ICE Audits has increased substantially. During the Bush Administration, ICE was conducting roughly 400 audits per year. Under the Obama Administration, that number increased to nearly 2,500. In 2018, under the Trump Administration, ICE audits more than doubled. As the country continues to tighten its belt on immigration, this number is expected to continue to exponentially rise.

Launching in January 2020, Tracker Corp is releasing a new module for its immigration platform that will enable immigration professionals to electronically post and maintain their clients’ Labor Condition Applications (LCAs - used in H-1B and PERM cases) and related Public Access Files (PAFs). The LCA serves to notify all "affected" employees of an employer’s plans to hire foreign workers, to help ensure those workers don’t displace US employees.

Have you ever wondered what an I-9 Notice of Inspection (NOI) from U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) looks like? 

We created a helpful sample NOI compiled from a number of real notices received by Tracker clients over the past several years.  

ICE has issued an unprecedented number of I-9 audits over the last three weeks, totaling 3,282 NOI’s to employers across the country. The recent wave of audits target hospitality, agriculture, food processing, health care, landscaping and construction industries.  It is anticipated that thousands more audits will be issued in the coming weeks.