Arizona Employers: E-Verify…WHAT’S E-VERIFY???

Well, despite two phone calls from reputable Chamber of Commerce folks in key Arizona cities, I resisted the urge to report on their stories of employers "playing ostrich" and simply ignoring the new mandate on electronic verification of new hires.  I verified the two opinions with a couple of other contacts in the state, yet I didn't write anything, because it all sounded so…I don't know…tabloid???Well, I got scooped by the Associated Press, and it is official:"An immigration official says a large percentage of Arizonabusinesses aren't using a federal database to check the work eligibility oftheir employees, as they are required to do by state law." Do you suppose that has anything to do with the fact that Congress has yet to give our friends at…

Buncha Stuff….some good, some scary…

…GOOD GRIEF what have I gotten myself into?  Here I am thinking this blog will be a nice little writing outlet but a hyper-caffeinated Chertoff and minions have me playing Headline News…here's the latest from that wacky cast of characters in your national capitol…-USCIS announced today that on June 16, 2008, it will beginaccepting Premium Processing Service requests for Forms I-140 (ImmigrantPetition for Alien Worker) filed on behalf of certain alien workers who arenearing the end of their sixth year in H-1B nonimmigrant status.  I know a lot of good folks who will smile at that one. (-:-The Washington Times yesterday FINALLY relayed the news of the federal contractor mandate with E-Verify days after your faithful immigration bloodhound reported it.  Am I cool or …

Heads Up, Megafilers, Ze Jig EEZ up…

This from DHS: a pending regulation will prohibit employers from filing multiple H-1b petitions for a foreign national.  My prediction: this will very adversely affect the leaders of the IT sector.  Why? Glad you asked…Not many folks sit around pondering the unponderable as much as I do, and it is for this reason that I am such a font of useful and useless information.  This one is useful, but first a question:Q: How do the big, foreign-based H-1B mega-users manage to staff so well despite the fact that 4 out of 5 new H-1Bs filed in April don't make the 65,000 cap?A:  They file multiple petitions.That is correct, even with filing fees as astronomical as they are, the profits are even MORE astronomical, so the filing of 2,3, or even five petitions for the SAME new…

A Little Help from my Friends…

Folks, if you are finding my blog and our efforts at i9 Advantage worthwhile, I have a big favor to ask of you: PLEASE write me if you hear of passed or proposed legislation, executive orders, and the like in your state.  I cannot tell you how much time we are investing into bringing you the best, most current, and most useful employment verification legislation status map in the galaxy.  Despite our efforts, the amount of state legislation is staggering, and it seems like every day I hear of some law which passed SOMEWHERE and, somehow, I’d missed it in my canvassing state legislative websites and the myriad other resources out there.If you get wind of some new proposed legislation in your state, or perhaps that the state has announced the governor’s executive order mandating so…

HSA’s Chertoff: The Heat and Raids will Continue

Yesterday was a busy immigration day in Washington: not only did the President finally invoke the long-promised mandate of requiring E-Verify from all federal contractors, but two of his execs hunkered down for a rather verbose press conference dubbed the "State of Immigration Address".  Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff (a/k/a Bush's lead immigration enforcer) and Commerce Secretary Gutierrez (who appeared more because of his surname than because of his contributions to the issue at hand) waxed poetic on a bunch of stuff, so I'm culling the "Employer Relevant" nitty gritty for you from the transcript, write me if you have questions…On 2-year EADs- Employment Authorization Documents will be issued with a 2 year validity period beginning later this mo…

NEW: President Bush Signs Order Mandating E-Verify for Fed Contractors

President Bush signed an executive order today mandating what his administration has long promised: E-Verify mandated for all federal contractors. The Nutshell: All agencies and departments of the Executive branch of the federal government must require their contractors to use an electronic employment verification system. What You Need to Do: If you are not using E-Verify — and the vast majority of U.S. companies with federal contracts or subcontracts do NOT — you MUST begin to do so.The Big Problem: the E-Verify interface remains complex and cumbersome and does not provide a full spectrum employment verification solution The Smart Solution: Click on www.i9advantage.com, the I-9 solution of choice for America’s leading employers and industries, and don’t miss a single federal contracting…

State Law Interactive Map is UP!!

I know what you're thinking."Jose is a slacker and hasn't been keeping up with his blog."Actually, half of that is correct:  I have NOT been doing a good job on updating Immigration Insider as I SHOULD be, but not because I've been slacking.  The truth is that the I-9 Advantage team has been crackin' the whip and we've finally posted it.  It looks awesome (you go Eric B) and is already the most up-to-date and accurate analysis of state legislation that has been enacted and which affects employers.  The map, however, is very much a work in progress and extremely time consuming.  The reason:  the more Washington fails to deliver solutions, the more misguided legislation pours forth from the states.  Check out our new baby …