E-Verify NextGen Releases Spring 2024
E-Verify has announced that it will release the “next generation” of the federal employment eligibility verification tool in a pilot form in early 2024. This new form of E-Verify is known as E-Verify+ and E-Verify NextGen. Many speculate that it will massively change the tool’s functionality. According to initial reports, it may also alter the employment eligibility verification (Form I-9) process.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)’s proposal detailed how E-Verify NextGen would work. According to the proposal, it would integrate the initial verification process for Form I-9s into the electronic tool. The USCIS also mentioned that the plus sign in E-Verify+ indicates this integration feature.
Every employer in the U.S. must complete Form I-9 for each new employee they hire. The information from this form is then manually entered into the E-Verify website, which electronically verifies it to ensure workers qualify for employment in the United States. Administered by the USCIS and Social Security Administration (SSA), E-Verify is a website employers may use to confirm new hires’ eligibility to work in the United States.
With E-Verify NextGen, new hires can enter their biographic information, status, and suitable documentation directly into their myEverify account. The E-Verify system will confirm the worker’s employment eligibility and notify employers of the result. Employers may then verify the worker’s documentation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also allows employers to verify the worker’s documentation remotely. However, only those using the DHS’s alternative verification process may use this option. After completing the process, the information provided to the system will help fill out a digital Form I-9. Employers can then download and store to satisfy federal requirements. This change would reduce transcription errors when employers copy information from paper Form I-9s into the electronic E-Verify system.
However, this may not offer as much utility for employers already using electronic I-9 management systems. Regardless, employers using E-Verify NextGen must retain paper versions of Form I-9 to present for inspection upon request. All employers must make corrections as needed, perform verifications, and destroy old documentation they no longer need.
The USCIS will release the new E-Verify+ pilot in Spring 2024, so employers can use it soon. Until then, employers should ensure that they maintain compliance with the employment eligibility verification requirements. The best way to do this is to incorporate an effective I-9 management system with E-verify integration into the onboarding process. This system can provide step-by-step guidance through every stage of the verification process, digital storage, and helpful reminders to ensure ongoing compliance.
When it comes to your employees, automation makes eligibility verification quick and simple. Ensure compliance today with I-9 Compliance.