E-Verify extended to allow immigrants to check work visa status
December 11 2009 by Liam Clifford
The US immigration department’s E-Verify online work visa checking system is to be expanded to allow immigrants themselves to use the system.
Currently employers use the system on a voluntary basis to screen
immigrants applying for jobs to check if they can legally work in the US.
However, with the changes introduced, the power would be put back in the hands
of the workers and they could check the status of their visas before applying
for work.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services head Alejendro Mayorkas
says the system is being developed but it’s still early days. "We are developing
it with the goal of employees being able to self-check," he said.
Some
170,000 employers are signed up to use the online checking system in the US.
Mayorkas says it is a useful tool for both employers and people who have moved
to the US via immigration to find work: "It protects employees from exploitive employers. It
enables employers to ensure the lawfulness of their work force, and therefore
comply with the law."
Federal contractors are now required to use
E-Verify to check the status of employees under new legislation.
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