Immigration

What keeps HR awake at night?

02/22/2011

Rising health care costs, implementing the new health care reforms, rapidly changing business and labor markets, growing regulatory complexity and managing the aging workforce top the list of challenges HR pros face. That’s what the Society for Human Resource Management found when it surveyed more than 9,000 practitioners.

Florida government agencies, contractors must use E-Verify

02/14/2011

One of Gov. Rick Scott’s first moves after taking office in January was to require all state agencies and contractors to use the federal government’s E-Verify online employment eligibility verification system for all its new hires. Scott’s move makes Florida the 14th state to adopt E-Verify for public employees, contractors or both.

Chipotle fires workers, faces protests, after ICE audit

02/09/2011

Protesters have been picketing some of Minnesota’s 50 Chipotle restaurants after the McDonald’s-owned company fired hundreds of workers—mainly Latino—because they lacked proper documentation. The firings followed an audit by ICE officials, which have now expanded to other Chipotle restaurants nationwide.

I-9 issues: To copy or not to copy employee ID documents? (and 4 other I-9 problems that cause employer headaches)

02/01/2011

It is remarkable that a seemingly simple, one-page form—the Form I-9—can cause so many headaches. But who says government forms are easy, much less an immigration-related form? Here are the most common mistakes employers make in filling out the Employment Eligibility Verification form.

Newark software firm settles H-1B visa complaint

01/28/2011

Newark-based Peri Software and its owner have agreed to pay $638,449 in back wages and interest to 67 employees after the company misused the H-1B visas the workers used to enter the United States.

In I-9 process, don’t ‘overdocument’ certain workers

01/24/2011

A new settlement shows the risk of requesting more work verification documents from new hires who aren’t native-born U.S. citizens.

How long should we retain I-9 forms?

01/07/2011

Q. We’ve been keeping I-9 forms for an indefinite period. Now I hear we only have to keep them for three years for active employees and one year for terminated employees. Which is correct?

Terminated employees staging protest? Consider suing to force them to stop

12/21/2010

Here’s a bit of good news for employers that must terminate some of their employees because the IRS says their Social Security numbers are invalid. If they stage an unfair protest against their firings, you can sue them to stop.

2 N.Y. nonprofits win grants to fight immigration bias

12/02/2010

Utica-based Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York and the New York City Human Rights Commission are two of 13 recipients of U.S. Department of Justice grant funds meant to aid victims of immigration discrimination.

Justice Department tells Hoover to clean up its I-9 process

12/01/2010

The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that it has reached a settlement with the Hoover Company—which manufactures vacuum cleaners in El Paso—resolving allegations that its employment eligibility verification process discriminates against legal, permanent residents of the United States.