he Employment Eligibility Verification, commonly referred to as the Form I9, is used to confirm the identity and legal authorization to work of all paid employees in the United States. It’s mandated by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 that all employers in the U.S. must ensure proper completion of Form I-9 for each of their employees in the country.
Despite the mandate, several companies continue to face inadequate verification and record-keeping procedures as well as fraud, all of which can lead to compliance violations including civil violations, forfeiture of assets, and prison sentences. Human resource professionals and business executives can be prosecuted for hiring individuals without valid authorization to work in the US. These prosecutions include harboring illegal aliens and federal conspiracy among others.