President George W. Bush issued an Executive Order dated June 9, 2008, mandating federal contractors to use the E-Verify system to check immigration status when they hire new workers or start work under government contracts. E-Verify, the Employment Eligibility Verification Program, is a Web-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the U.S. Social Security Administration that electronically verifies the employment eligibility of newly hired employees or for every new contract with the government. The E-Verify system was initially designed as a voluntary program. Under the proposed rule, this will be the first time the federal government has mandated these immigration status and employee eligibility checks for a large group of employers.
E-Verify assists the government's efforts to stop the hiring of illegal immigrants and workers who have overstayed or have expired visas. Presently, the proposed rule is open to the public for comment. Foley will provide an update on the Executive Order when finalized and implemented.
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