St. Louis — March 28
Interest in the U.S. government’s “Basic Pilot” employment verification program for I-9 compliance continues to gain momentum, as evidenced by the record
response to a recent HR.com webcast hosted by TALX Corp.
Registration for the one-hour online learning event was at capacity, 1,550 participants, as HR professionals from across the United States eagerly sought more information on the “Basic Pilot” Program and how to achieve electronic I-9 compliance.
Broadcast live Nov. 29, the webcast’s panel featured Gerri
Ratliff, chief of the Verification Division, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Scott Mezistrano, senior manager of Government Relations, American Payroll Association; and Dave Fowler, senior director
of Product Strategy, TALX Corp.
“Whether you’re a large employer with multiple offices across the U.S. or a small business, the I-9 situation represents risk and liability,” Fowler said. “Taking aggressive steps to better define and automate this part of the HR process directly affects an organization’s bottom line.”
The electronic I-9 has been a hot topic since June 2006, when a new interim rule was issued by the Department of Homeland Security that allowed employers to complete, sign and store their required Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 forms electronically.
The “Basic Pilot” program allows a company to reduce risk by verifying social security numbers and work authorizations.
Electronic I-9s provide other benefits such as measuring compliance, identifying missing I-9s, online
reverification notices and removing old I-9s per retention
requirements.
Employers also can convert existing paper I-9s to
electronic storage to eliminate manual processes, measure compliance across the organization and easily respond to internal or external audits.
The interactive webcast, “The Federal ‘Basic Pilot’ Program and Electronic I-9 Compliance,” addressed several key issues surrounding electronic I-9s, including implementation options, best practices and
compliance with the interim rules.
TALX’s electronic I-9 services are designed to alleviate the
difficulties involved with complying with federal regulations. TALX helps employers maintain compliance with immigration regulations and eliminate paper and manual processes.
