E-Verify inactive due to government shutdown

PHOENIX — The system that checks whether a person is eligible to work in the U.S. is currently not available because of the government shutdown.

“We do have calls from concerned clients,” said Lynda McKay, Senior Human Resource Professional with the Bagnall Company. “They want to make sure they are doing the right thing and not putting themselves at risk, compliance-wise,” she added.

According to McKay, employers can still hire the staff they need without running them through E-Verify, however, employers must do it within three days, once E-Verify is back up again.

A word of caution from the HR experts: If an employer suspects a new hire isn’t legally authorized to work in the U.S., they are strongly urged to refrain from taking any action.

“You may not know if the person is authorized to work in the U.S., [but] you still cannot take any adverse action in this time frame, otherwise this will come back and have a legal compliance issue against the employer,” said McKay.