Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced initiatives to strengthen the efficiency and accuracy of the E-Verify system.

The initiatives include a new agreement with the Department of Justice that will streamline the adjudication process in cases of E-Verify misuse and discrimination; an informational telephone hotline for employees to provide a more timely, effective and seamless customer experience for workers seeking E-Verify information; and new training videos focusing on E-Verify procedures and policies, employee rights and employer responsibilities in English and Spanish.

 

The two new, educational training videos, explaining E-Verify procedures and policies, employee rights and employer responsibilities in English and Spanish were created by the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and are viewable at www.dhs.gov/e-verify and www.youtube.com/ushomelandsecurity.

 

Additionally, the USCIS E-Verify help line will offer employees information about the E-Verify process, as well as assistance in completing the Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification). E-Verify is a Web-based system that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of newly-hired employees.

 

DHS says that more than 192,000 participating employers at more than 705,000 worksites nationwide currently use E-Verify to electronically verify their workers’ employment eligibility. Since Oct. 1, 2009, E-Verify has processed more than six million queries.