Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification: Fill & Download for Free

International students ( STEM and Non-STEM) graduates het 12 Months OPT ( F1 Visa - Optional Practical Training (OPT) Guide - Happy Schools Blog). STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.Graduates with STEM degree could extend OPT by additional 17 months, if the employer is E-verified. (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.)

Yes, it absolutely is illegal 8 U.S. Code § 1324a - Unlawful employment of aliensIt is unlawful for a person or other entity—(A) to hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an alien knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien (as defined in subsection (h)(3)) with respect to such employment, or(B) (i) to hire for employment in the United States an individual without complying with the requirements of subsection (b) or (ii) if the person or entity is an agricultural association, agricultural employer, or farm labor contractor (as defined in section 1802 of title 29), to hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an individual without complying with the requirements of subsection (b).Subsection (b) refers to Form I-9…According to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website:“Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. All U.S. employers must ensure proper completion of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens. Both employees and employers (or authorized representatives of the employer) must complete the form. On the form, an employee must attest to his or her employment authorization. The employee must also present his or her employer with acceptable documents evidencing identity and employment authorization. The employer must examine the employment eligibility and identity document(s) an employee presents to determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9. Employers must retain Form I-9 for a designated period and make it available for inspection by authorized government officers.”Source: Employment Eligibility VerificationSo the laws are in place, and the Attorney General is required to prosecute those found in violation.But what are the penalties? According to the code:shall require the person or entity to cease and desist from such violations and to pay a civil penalty in an amount of—(i) not less than $250 and not more than $2,000 for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom a violation of either such subsection occurred,(ii) not less than $2,000 and not more than $5,000 for each such alien in the case of a person or entity previously subject to one order under this paragraph, or(iii) not less than $3,000 and not more than $10,000 for each such alien in the case of a person or entity previously subject to more than one order under this paragraphThen you have:Criminal penalties and injunctions for pattern or practice violations(1) Criminal penaltyAny person or entity which engages in a pattern or practice of violations of subsection (a)(1)(A) or (a)(2) shall be fined not more than $3,000 for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom such a violation occurs, imprisoned for not more than six months for the entire pattern or practice, or both, notwithstanding the provisions of any other Federal law relating to fine levels.(2) Enjoining of pattern or practice violationsWhenever the Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that a person or entity is engaged in a pattern or practice of employment, recruitment, or referral in violation of paragraph (1)(A) or (2) of subsection (a), the Attorney General may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court of the United States requesting such relief, including a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or other order against the person or entity, as the Attorney General deems necessary.How strong a deterrent do you think that is?

By requiring ALL employers to use E-VERIFYE-Verify is a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. E-Verify employers verify the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired employees by electronically matching information provided by employees on the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, against records available to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).E-Verify is a voluntary program. Make it mandatory!Of course, an employee can use someone else’s Social Security info, but they will need additional documents for the employer to file the form I-9, making it MUCH harder than it is now to use a borrowed or stolen social.And if a significant amount of complaints are filed against employees for identity theft who work for a particular company, the government can conduct an investigation into the hiring practices of that company.More Info on E-Verify:Home