Using E-Verify in Background Checks

There are reliable tools that will allow for comprehensive background and pre-employment checks.

E-Verify has become such a tool. E-Verify is an internet-based system that takes information about an employee or potential employee and compares the information to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration. The records are used to confirm employment verification.

Using E-Verify can save employers time and money. It gives hiring managers a concise and reliable tool to validate background information. The results generated by E-Verify are taken from updated and current government and private search listings.

A few years ago, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced an expansion of the E-Verify Self Check system. This online system allows employees to check their own employment eligibility status. The update in 2012 expanded the Self Check program to all 50 states, Washington D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.

The Self Check program was developed through a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. The goal was to provide people the tools needed to check their own employment eligibility status. It also would provide guidance on how to correct DHS and SSA status.