More than 500,000 companies now use
E-Verify, the free online service that allows
United States employers to confirm their
new employees’ eligibility to work, according
to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services.
“Since it was established, E-Verify has
experienced exponential growth, increased
accuracy and high customer satisfaction
ratings,” said Lori Scialabba, acting director
of USCIS. “Participation in E-Verify is
largely voluntary, so the fact that half a
million companies have signed up demonstrates
significant confidence in the
program. Employers using E-Verify find it
helps them maintain a legal workforce in a
quick, secure and accurate way.”
Employers who use E-Verify receive a response on an employee’s work authorization status within seconds. Some 98.8 percent of work-authorized employees are automatically confirmed instantly or within 24 hours, requiring no further employee or employer action, Scialabba said. Users gave E-Verify a score of 86 out of 100 on the 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey. The average score for all government agencies was 67.
USCIS has worked over the years to strengthen the system’s integrity. These efforts have led to E-Verify agreements with select states’ departments of motor vehicles to ensure the authenticity of driver’s licenses that employees use as identity documents; the introduction of Self Check, which allows workers to look up their own employment eligibility status and correct their records before they seek employment; and a program that combats identity fraud by locking Social Security numbers suspected of being misused for employment eligibility verification.
Scialabba said E-Verify has experienced significant growth since its establishment in 1996. Annual enrollments increased tenfold during the program’s first 16 years, from 11,474 in fiscal year (FY) 1996 to 111,671 in FY 2012. During FY 2013, employers used E-Verify more than 25 million times.
To commemorate the half-millionparticipant milestone, USCIS has released “E-Verify for Business Leaders,” a new video that introduces the program’s benefits to prospective users. USCIS has also launched an updated E-Verify website that has more plain-language content and easy-to-follow graphics.
The site’s new E-Verify History and Milestones page shows the program’s advances through the years.
Visit www.uscis.gov/E-Verify for more information about the program.