US E-Verify checks should be mandatory-Gallegly

United States, 14th February: The US E-Verify checks are likely to be made mandatory for businesses in the nation following a legislation being prepared by a subcommittee of a US congressional immigration policy chaired by Republican Elton Gallegly.

As of now, the US E-Verify program is mandatory for government agencies as well as a few government contractors, but for the US businesses, this program is voluntary.

The legislation will make it compulsory for all US businesses to verify the details of the US visas of any individuals seeking employment in the US under the US E-Verify program before giving them jobs.

Under the US E-Verify program, employers can verify the immigration system of the job applicants in a couple of seconds. However, the official data reveals that out of nearly 7.7 million US employers, just 11 percent are currently using this program.

Many US House Republicans including Gallegly feel that having E-Verify checks before employing immigrants for jobs in the US will ensure that only those having legal US immigration status are hired by the employers after US citizens with requisite skills are not found for such jobs.

However, such a move is being criticized by many US business owners including farmers who feel that such a step could lead to a destabilization in the US agricultural economy since majority of farmers depend on the undocumented immigrants for farming jobs in the US.

Representative John Conyers said that such step without broader US immigration reforms will result in a big blow to the undocumented immigrant workers in the US and force them to go underground.

Gallegly, meanwhile, reiterated that the compulsory I-9 process currently used by US employers for screening potential employees is subject to be manipulated easily by the former.

And the introduction of mandatory US E-Verity program would result not only result in curbing such practices but also lead to a significant reduction in the number of undocumented aliens getting employed in the US, asserted Gallegly.

The I-9 form requires a number of documents including a Social Security number acting as a proof of the legal status of a potential immigrant employee in the US for getting work here.

Senior vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce, Randel Johnson, said he got mixed response about the imminent move from his members. Many US businesses face difficulty in adapting to a new system which might lead to complications.