The Form I-9: ICE Storms Could Cost Your Company Millions

Why Should You Attend:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) is storming the I-9 audit trail and is raid-ready, levying big fines for employers not in compliance with the immigration laws. In fiscal year 2013, ICE inspected the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Forms of 3,127 employers and issued 637 final orders for more than $15 million in fines. This year is going to be another record-breaking year for immigration enforcement.

This webinar will explain how to get your I-9 records and practices up-to-date, so you can stay in compliance and stay out of the path of the ICE storm.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• Up-to-date requirements for Form I-9 compliance
• How to conduct a self-audit of your I-9s and I-9 practices
• Common I-9 completion mistakes to avoid
• Best practices for filling out the I-9
• Legally acceptable ways to verify workers’ documentation
• Form I-9 re-verification requirements for non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents
• How to avoid legal trouble with re-verification requests
• How to handle I-9s for returning workers
• How to complete I-9s for new employees using automatically extended employment authorization documents (EADs)
• Tips for copying and storing I-9s
• Whether you should photocopy workers’ supporting documentation
• Electronic I-9s
• When it is safe to purge old I-9s
• The most common recordkeeping errors to avoid so you’re not under ICE scrutiny and subject to hefty fines
• Best practices for ensuring that you’re not unknowingly hiring or employing workers not authorized to work in the United States, and what not to do when placing ads seeking employees
• How to legally walk the line between being vigilant about having workers produce sufficient documentation to back up their assertions that they can legally work here and not overstepping by requesting too much or impermissible information
• Strategies for ensuring your organization is prepared in the event of an ICE audit

Who Will Benefit:

• In-House Counsel
• Human Resources Professionals
• Compliance Officers
• Document Management In-charge
• Record Keeping Professionals

Instructor Profile:

Shanon Stevenson, is a partner in the Atlanta office and a member of the firm's Global Immigration Practice Group. Shanon's practice focuses on corporate immigration law.

She began practicing in this area in 1998. She has comprehensive knowledge and extensive experience in a broad range of immigration areas, including advising clients on current immigration legislation, handling nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications, outbound visas, Export Administration Regulation Deemed Export determinations, and advising employers on I-9 compliance.

Shanon is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She has been repeatedly recognized for her immigration practice in Georgia Super Lawyers – Rising Stars. Shanon is "AV" Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Topic Background:

* In October 2013, a software company headquartered in Texas paid a $34 million settlement for, among other immigration violations, failing to maintain I-9 records for many of its foreign nationals in the United States in 2010 and 2011 as required by law and a widespread failure to update and re-verify the employment authorization status of a large percentage of its foreign national employees.

* In 2013, the Department of Justice’s Office of Special Counsel claimed that a major retailer engaged in unfair I-9 documentary practices against work-authorized immigrant employees during the employment eligibility re-verification process and that some employees suffered economic harm through lost wages or seniority. As a result, the retailer will pay $175,000 in civil penalties. In addition, it will establish a fund to compensate those damaged by its practices and will have its employment eligibility verification practices subject to the DOJ monitoring and reporting for a period of two years.

* ICE made 520 criminal arrests tied to worksite enforcement investigations in 2012. Of the individuals criminally arrested, 240 were owners, managers, supervisors or human resources employees. They face charges such as harboring or knowingly hiring illegal aliens. The remaining workers who were criminally arrested face charges such as aggravated identity theft and Social Security fraud.

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