E Verify is really successful... or is it? [1]
According to the latest statistics listed on the USCIS website [10] E Verify is currently used by over 192,000 employers on more than 705,000 jobsites across the US.
In the last 5 months they have received over 6 million requests, that is 1.2 million per month. According to a study recently completed by Westat Inc. and quoted in the April 2010 issue of HR Magazine, 94% of the workers submitted were verified as eligible for work under the guidelines. Of the remaining 6%, half were ruled unqualified to work. However, the system identified 3% of those workers or 30,000 workers qualified to work incorrectly. The study found that they were carrying forged or stolen Social Security cards that the system identified as legal. That may seem like a small number, but that means over the last 6 months that 180,000 workers entered your jobsites illegally and possibly endangered your workforce and the quality of your work product.
While a totally foolproof process is not yet in place, it seems that this study makes an argument for a stronger I-9/ e-Verify program or an alternative to the Social Security ID system currently in place.
Would your clients accept a 3% variation in the height of their building or the width of their garage or stair? Doubtful.
I wonder how many of those 180,000 workers with false identifications approved by the e Verify system made their way into your company or onto your jobsites?