E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility to work in the United States. Using E-Verify helps employers to determine the employment eligibility of their employees, and this allows them to know whether they are hiring employees that are eligible to work. Currently approximately 409,000 employers, large and small, across the United States use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of their employees, with about 1,300 new businesses signing up each week. E-Verify is voluntary for most businesses, however, some companies may be required by state law or federal regulation to use E-Verify. For example, E-Verify is mandatory for employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that contain the Federal Acquisition Regulation E-Verify clause.
