Another Great I-9 & E-Verify Seminar! Thanks to All Attendees!
September 23rd, 2011 § 1 Comment
Thank you to all of the participants who attended our seminar, “Form I-9 & E-Verify: What You Need To Know – 2011” yesterday at Northeast Delta Dental in Concord, New Hampshire. We would like to thank Northeast Delta Dental for providing the venue – as well as a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste for each participant! We had an engaging workshop with lots of great questions.
Participants included private employers, public employers, not-for-profit organizations, and government entities of all sizes. To make sure we’re addressing the needs of our attendees, we like to survey participants soon after the seminar. If you would like to take part in this brief survey, please click here.
In addition to the yummy breakfast, participants left with an in-depth understanding of I-9 form completion and retention requirements. Attorneys John Wilson and Grace Miller demystified E-Verify and the employer’s obligations created by enrolling in the program.
Each participant was given GoffWilson’s sought-after I-9 form reference workbook, which past participants have said they use every time a new person is hired. Using this workbook, participants were given the opportunity to put pen to paper and complete sample I-9 forms that were filled with common issues and problems. Workshop participants then applied their knowledge and skillfully spotted errors on sample I-9 forms.
GoffWilson has certified this course for HRCI credit. Participants who needed PHR/SPHR certification received 3 hours of HRCI credit.
Thank you again to all of the participants and Northeast Delta Dental for a great work!
SHRM Event: iPad Raffle Raises Funds For Breast Cancer Patients
September 16th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
As always, GoffWilson felt privileged to attend and sponsor the joint meeting of the Manchester Area and Greater Concord affiliates of the Society for Human Resource Management yesterday. It is always rewarding to share information about immigration law with our friends in the human resource community.
We were especially happy to talk with so many of you at our table. We were overwhelmed with the great response we received to our iPad2 raffle! Thank you to all who bought tickets.
The effort, which also received financial support from KBW Financial Staffing & Recruitment; ECCO USA, Inc.; and Soca Interior Design, raised over $1100 in just a few hours for the New Hampshire Breast Cancer Coalition, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that provides invaluable support to help breast cancer patients in NH manage the financial toll of treatment. Donating the iPad2 for the raffle was a great way for GoffWilson to give a nice perk to our associates in NH’s human resource community, as well as support a very important cause.
Congratulations to our lucky winner, Bonnie Vien of Globe Manufacturing, LLC, who took home the iPad2 in its attractive pink case. (The iPad also featured custom shortcuts to our website and TheImmigrationBlawg.com, so Bonnie can stay in touch with us easily.)
The winner of our second prize in the raffle, a seat at our upcoming seminar “Form I-9 & E-Verify: What You Need to Know 2011,” was Pam Hogan of Southern NH University. If you would like more information about Form I-9 or E-Verify, please contact us.
Congrats to both of our winners and many thanks to all of our SHRM friends who took part in the raffle. A full list of all who participated is available below.
Supporters of NH Breast Cancer Coalition
Beth Menton
Caroline Bergeron
Cathy Harrington
Cerina Yeaton
Cheryl Tapply
Chris Hagen
Cindy Walsh
Claire McGrath
Dana Lucas
Dawn Jesmer
Deb Laushine
Deborah McKinstry
Debra Lacey
Eileen Jasie
Francine Driscoll
Gayle Troy
Gerry Fernandez
Gloria Jacobson
Gordon Woodfall
Helen Goodman
Jackie Brough
Jaime Corwin
Jane Delmar
Jane Gile
Janet Cote
Janet Dugan
Jen Moeckel
Kathleen McNutt
Jen Cook
Jess Beaudet
JoAnn Shattuck
Jody Bugbee
Joyce Morrison
Julie Snedeker
Julie Snedeker
Karen Carter
Kathi Doucet
Kathy Hammel
Laurie Glaude
Laurie Methren
Laurie Murphy
Lesley Blecharczyk
Linda Tuells
Pat Freeman
Paul Wilson
Real Madore
Rene Laferriere
Robyn Chadwick
Roger Page
Sara Lewko
Scott Watkins
Sheila Kabat
Stephanie McQuade
Steve Manteau
Susan Dalrymple
Tracy Jordan
Victoria Chapman
Walter Michelsen
H-1B Visa Program: Violations and Consequences
September 14th, 2011 § 1 Comment
Imagine this scenario: You hired some workers with H visa status, but you didn’t check with your immigration attorney before you changed their wages, paid them more than other employees in the same positions, or failed to pay them because you were short on work. And somewhere along the line, one of these employees or a US worker complained. Now you are the subject of a Department of Labor investigation with possible fines and penalties to be paid.
This happened to a public school district in Maryland. To read the full article, please click here. Not only did the district have to pay $100,000 in civil penalties, they had to pay over $4 million in back wages. In addition, they are now barred from using the H visa program for two years.
There are other traps for the unwary in the H visa program, such as failure to notify the immigration service promptly when an H employee leaves your company. Failure can result in liability for wages for the entire remaining period of H status. This happened to a company in California this year.
The current administration has made it clear through statements, policy and actions that they intend to go after the employers who are not following the immigration rules of the road. If you have H-1B employees and you are considering any changes in their employment, call us and let’s discuss what steps you must take to avoid any investigations, penalties, or worse down the road.
Five Reasons Not To Miss This I-9 & E-Verify Seminar
September 6th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
1. I-9 Compliance
2. Hands-On Experience
3. Coveted 2011 I-9 Workbook
4. HRCI Credit
5. A Special Surprise Raffle
Visit the I-9 & E-Verify Seminar Website today to register. Hurry! Registration closes after Thursday, Sept. 8!
What A Subway Restaurant’s Mitigated I-9 Fines Means For Your Business
September 2nd, 2011 § 1 Comment
Why should you care about a Subway restaurant in North Carolina and it’s trouble with I-9 forms? Well, from 2009 to the end of 2010, that Subway restaurant was the subject of an ICE investigation and faced fines of more than $110,000 for I-9 form violations.
In its filings, ICE alleged in Count I that the restaurant hired 11 named individuals from 2006 through Feb. 2009 and failed to ensure that those individuals properly completed section 1 of form I-9 and/or failed itself to properly complete section 2 or section 3 of the form. Count II alleged that the restaurant hired 85 named individuals between 2006 and Feb. 2009 for whom it failed to prepare or present I-9 forms at all.
Penalties were sought in the amount of $1,028.50 for each violation, or $31,883.50 for Count I and $87,422.50 for Count II for a total of $119,306.00.
In Dec. 2010, the Department of Justice, Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO) issued a precedent decision that reduced the fine levied on the Subway restaurant for form I-9-related violations.
The initial fine was near the maximum amount permitted within the regulations that an employer can be fined. Although the administrative law judge acknowledged that the violations were serious, she reduced the fine after considering the company’s ability to pay and the general state of the economy (among the other five mitigating factors permitted by the statute).
The fine was reduced for Count I to $6,900 and for Count II to $21,250.00 for a total of $28,150, which is still substantial, but is not so “onerous that employees have to lose their jobs or employers are forced out of business.”
This decision is noteworthy due to the additional factors (the company’s ability to pay and the economy) that the judge used to mitigate the fine. This decision gives employers greater negotiating power when faced with fines from ICE for I-9-related violations.
This is another example of employers being held accountable for their workforce. It is noteworthy that in this case none of the bad I-9s were from unauthorized aliens. These are just the type of I-9 compliance issues GoffWilson can help your company with. Call (603.228.1277) or email us before you have any trouble with ICE.
