Immigration compliance can be a large hurdle for many employers, and that’s among many areas the immigration attorneys at Buhler Thomas Law, P.C. are here to help with. Our firm will help provide assessments and legal advice to organizations for everything from I-9 and H1-B compliance to E-Verify issues and more.
As USCIS and Department of Homeland Security audits become more common and the government has clearly begun to put more emphasis on compliance, this area has become even more important for employers who can’t afford to get dinged with any non-compliance issues. Here are several tips we can offer for remaining diligent and on top of compliance issues.
Every employee hired after November, 1986 needs to have a correct I-9 form filled out. If there are employees hired after this date who do not have the proper I-9 form filled out, speak to an immigration attorney immediately to learn about the benefits of doing so. It can often make the difference between compliance and non-compliance.
Combining a self-audit with an outside immigration lawyer for this I-9 process is by far the best way to go, and ensures transparency and legitimacy. This is considered a best practice under USCIS guidelines, and will illuminate any potential challenges or gaps – especially if you’re working directly with an attorney who knows how to spot these crux points.
Develop an internal system for expiring work authorization documents. Any expired work authorizations, or even the suspicion of these, can trigger a USCIS audit fairly quickly. Developing an internal mechanism to allow you to be notified anytime an expiration is approaching will remove this issue before it ever becomes a problem.
Be extremely clear about state-wide E-Verify methods, and whether they apply to your business specifically. There can be a lot of fine print here, so it’s often important that you speak to an immigration attorney to determine this.
Want to learn more about workplace compliance, or have any other questions for our experienced immigration attorneys? Contact the offices of Buhler Thomas Law, P.C. today.