Immigration

Luxury hotelier hit with $2 million tab for immigration violations

10/13/2014

Salt Lake City-based Grand America Hotels and Resorts will pay nearly $2 million for hiring undocumented immigrants following a settlement agreement signed in September between the company, federal prosecutors and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Justice Department: Don’t share I-9 forms with outside vendors

06/17/2014

Can a paycard vendor request access to an employer’s I-9 data so it can verify the identity of the employees to whom it will be issuing paycards? The DOL has weighed in on the question.

Employers pay big for making up own I-9 document requirements

05/16/2014

Take too lax an approach to reviewing identity documents for the purpose of completing I-9 forms and you could run afoul of the Immigration Reform and Control Act. But as two employers learned in April, imposing overly rigorous document requirements on workers can violate the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Texas town loses final appeal on immigration statute

05/01/2014

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear appeals of rulings that declared two of the nation’s most far-reaching anti-immigrant statutes unconstitutional. The towns of Farmer’s Branch, Texas, and Hazleton, Pa., had adopted ordinances punishing landlords who rented to “illegal immigrants.” The Hazleton ordinance also targeted employers that hired illegals.

Electronic I-9s: Can you pre-populate employee data?

03/21/2014

Employers that use electronic systems to complete I-9 verification forms for new hires sometimes streamline the system by pre-populating employee information on Section I of the I-9 with information pulled from the company’s HR software. Is that permissible?

IRCA: Hiring Immigrants

02/22/2014

HR Law 101: Two laws govern U.S. immigration policy: the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, which was amended in 1990. For each new employee hired, U.S. employers must complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The I-9 establishes the employee’s identity and legal work status.

Acceptable Documents for I-9

02/20/2014

HR Law 101: Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act, new employees must provide to employers proof of identity and employment eligibility with documents listed on the I-9 Form ….

ICE is back in business: Are your I-9s ready?

10/31/2013

Now that the federal government shutdown has ended, ICE inspectors are back on the job—and they’re looking for employers that don’t properly document their employees’ eligibility to work in the United States.

E-Verify back online following federal government shutdown

10/30/2013

The E-Verify electronic employment eligibility verification system is back online after service was suspended during the federal government shutdown. However, the timing of the shutdown may have caused delays for some employers that submitted E-Verify data in late September.

What rules must we follow if we must lay off work-visa employees?

10/02/2013

Q. Do we have any duties or obligations if we discharge employees who are in the United States on work visas?