(From Barran Liebman Electronic Alert Volume 12, Issue 29, September 8, 2009)
After nearly eight months of postponements, the new E-Verify system goes into effect today, September 8, 2009, for certain federal contractors.
As you may remember from previous E-Alerts, current law requires that all employers complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (Form I-9) to verify a new employee’s identity and employment eligibility. The new rule requires that federal contractors enter the employee’s identity and eligibility information into the E-Verify system, an internet-based employment eligibility database. E-Verify must be used for work on all federal contracts awarded after September 8, 2009, that call for a time of performance that exceeds 120 days and that have a value greater than $100,000. Contracts for commercially available items are exempt from the requirement. Subcontractors must use E-Verify if the prime contract includes the requirement and the value of the contract exceeds $3,000.
The federal government initially planned to roll out E-Verify for federal contractors in January 2009, but issued a series of delays in response to a lawsuit filed by interest groups opposing the rule. Last week, a federal court in Maryland issued a decision upholding the rule’s validity, paving the way for it to go into effect.
For more information for Federal Contractors, visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Copyright © 2009 by Barran Liebman LLP
