E-Verify Self-Check Going Live in March

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is establishing a new self-check process for E-Verify, effective March 18, 2011. The self-check process is voluntary and available to any individual who wants to check his or her own work authorization status before employment and facilitate correction of errors in federal databases (such as those of the Social Security Administration, DHS, and the Department of State) that feed information into the E-Verify process. DHS said E-Verify Self-Check “provides a vehicle for an individual to proactively check work authorization status prior to the employer conducting the E-Verify inquiry.”

DHS noted that when an individual uses E-Verify Self-Check, he or she will be notified either that (1) the information matched the federal databases and the individual would be deemed work-authorized, or (2) there was a “mismatch,” in which case he or she will be given instructions on how to correct the record(s).

The notice announcing the new system and inviting comments, which must be submitted by March 18, 2011, is available as PDF.