E-Verify (formerly known as the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.
E-Verify is free and voluntary and is the best means available for determining employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security Numbers.
See "Program Highlights" on the left side of this page for "E-Verify Program Statistics."
What's New
Information for Federal Contractors
The Executive Order (Amending Executive Order 12989) dated June 9th, 2008, instructs federal agencies to require contractor participation in E-Verify, and the proposed rule provides detailed guidance on how that requirement is to be implemented. However, the proposed rule is not a final rule; it is a proposal that is open for public comment at this time.
Please see the press release dated June 9, 2008 " DHS Designates E-Verify as Employment Eligibility Verification System for All Federal Contractors" linked below. For more information on how this Executive Order impacts your company, as an organization who engages in contracts with the federal government see "Federal Contractors Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" linked below.
Extension of Optional Practical Training Program
Foreign students in F-1 nonimmigrant status who have been enrolled on a full-time basis for at least one full academic year in a college, university, conservatory, or seminary certified by Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), are eligible for 12 months of optional practical training (OPT) to work for a U.S. employer in a job directly related to the student’s major area of study. Please see link below to the "International Student and Exchange Visitor Program."
An additional 17-month OPT extension is now available for current OPT F-1 students who have completed a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree and accepted employment with employers enrolled in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) E-Verify employment verification program. Please see link below to "Supplemental Questions & Answers:Extension of Optional Training Program for Qualified Students."
This extension will benefit students with pending H-1B petitions and change of status requests, as it will enable them to maintain their employment eligibility for the duration of the H-1B processing period.
