Supreme Court upholds Arizona immigration law targeting employers

LA Times: Supreme Court upholds Arizona immigration law targeting employers. (Link)

While Arizona immigration law is different from California law, there are still things you need to do to protect yourself when hiring a new employee. Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, an employer is required to verify a new employee's legal right to work in the United States. The law requires that a new employee must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 before starting work. The employer must complete the second part of I-9; there are also requirements for re-verification. The employer is responsible for getting this done and for verifying documents that support the legal right to work. Failure to comply (even if you are not in Arizona) carries penalties of up to $5,500 per worker, with additional fines for failing to keep proper I-9 records and, if you submitted an I-9 knowing or suspecting that the employee's paperwork was not sufficient to show they had a legal right to work in the United States, penalties for document fraud.

To find out more about Employment Eligibility Verification, visit the USCIS website by clicking here.