About The Immigration Reform

On Thursday, May 25, 2006, in a historic vote, the U. S. Senate passed the most significant immigration reform law in 20 years. This comprehensive immigration reform bill tackles 3 important problems: securing our borders; creating a temporary guest worker program to address labor shortages; and a possible solution in regard to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country.

If the immigration reform will be approved this year they will be able to legalize those workers whose documents are not appropriate. However, if a new law creating a temporary worker is not approved, employers must be prepared to deal with the increased workplace enforcement which is expected.

Regardless of what the final immigration reform bill looks like or even if no bill passes at all, one thing is certain - there will be increased enforcement of employer sanctions. The immigration reform bill has proposed the creation of an electronic data base for employers to verify their employee's social security numbers. Enforcement of employer sanctions has already increased and will increase substantially.

It is still uncertain what the final immigration reform bill will look like or if it will pass this year. Regardless of that, we know one thing for certain: there will be more enforcement in the workplace, with or without a new law. At this moment, because of all of the political pressure, immigration has already started to enforce the existing laws more vigorously. This is why it is vital that all employers conduct a "preventative internal I-9 audit" now, before they are audited by the government. According to the law, employers complete a Form I-9, Employment Verification Form, for all of their employees at the time of hire, proving that they have reviewed the employees documents and that they are authorized to work in the US.