Happy New Year! We hope that 2012 will be a banner year and that your organization plans to hire a lot of new employees.

If an organization conducts business in Georgia and employs 500 or more workers in the state, the organization is required to sign up for E-Verify beginning January 1, 2012, as mandated by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011 (HB 87), signed into law by Governor Deal in May of 2011. The law phases in the E-Verify requirement, and on July 1, 2012, Georgia employers with 100 or more employees must start using E-Verify. Finally, on July 1, 2013, Georgia employers with more than 10 employees will need to comply with the E-Verify requirement.

E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States, as U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the country. To learn more about and enroll in E-Verify, please click here.

Employers should keep in mind that Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification should still be used to document that each employee is authorized to work in the U.S. as E-Verify does not replace the I-9 process. For more information, please download the Handbook for Employers (M-274) from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

SGR’s Immigration Practice Group is available to assist you with any of your E-Verify, I-9 and immigration questions.