E-Verify is an online system that checks information provided on an employee's Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) against data from the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security.  

While the system isn't mandatory for all employers, there is federal legislation pending to change that.  And many employers are already required by state or local law or under federal contracts to run their employees through E-Verify.  But why should that concern you as a recruiter?

Well, if you are placing contractors and running your own back-office, you are responsible for running your contractors through E-Verify, if required. That means you need to keep up with the federal laws as well as those in all of the areas in which you place contractors and make sure you are in compliance.

If you are required to E-Verify contractors, you will need to be trained and certified to use the system. You must run new contractors through the system within three business days of their start date. Of course, this is after you have had them complete Section 1 of the I-9 on their first day of work and you have completed Section 2, which is a task that also must be completed within three days of their start date.

Even if you use a contract staffing back-office, you still want to ensure that the back-office is running contractors through E-Verify when required. Not only that, but many clients are requiring that contractors placed at their companies are run through E-Verify, even if not required by law. If you want to get placements from those clients, you will want to be sure to use a contract staffing back-office that is certified to run E-Verify.

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.