Musings on Immigration

As a business owner, one of your most important jobs is having the “right” person on board, in each of the specialty occupations in your business.   Whether it’s an office manager, billing coordinator, office or factory workers, or even landscaper, each position is integral to running an effective operation. It is also common knowledge, particularly in large cities, that getting the “right” staff can be almost impossible, given the dearth of applicants for many of these jobs.   Obviously, employers also want to ensure that all employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.   Starting July 1, 2013, the Georgia legislature wanted to ensure that all new hires for Georgia’s restaurant are, in fact, legally allowed to work.   Under current Georgia law (effective July 1, 2013) all Georgia employers with more than 10 employees on January 1 , are required to enroll in the federal E-Verify program. This new law will supposedly be enforced by requiring the...

          Employment Eligibility Verification or E-Verify is an internet-based US government controlled system to help employers verify the employment eligibility of new hires.   The E-Verification program works in conjunction with the current I-9 forms that must be completed for every new hire.   YOUR OBLIGATIONS UNDER GEORGIA LAW             Congress is considering legislation that would mandate E-Verification participation nationwide and may expand the program to an employer’s current employees (E-Verification prohibits the use of the program on current employees).   We will know more about this movement after the Presidential election.   The Georgia Legislature, in a fit of anti-immigration vitriol, jumped on the E-Verify bandwagon in 2011.  Though many larger employers in Georgia have already been subject to the new law (those with MORE than 100 employees) smaller, private employers in ...