Employers Face Problems Hiring Immigrant Workers

Across the nation employers are facing a growing challenge when it comes to the hiring process A raid on a dairy farm near Towner on Tuesday in which 13 immigrant workers were arrested brings the problem to light So how can an employer know for sure when he or she is hiring a person legally permitted to work in the United States The process can prove tricky Anyone who has ever accepted a job has completed the W-4 tax form we ve also all completed the I-9 That form the I-9 is laid out in three columns A new hire must present either a single form of identification listed in column A a passport for example OR one form of identification from column B AND another listed in column C such as a drivers license AND a birth certificate But even though the guidelines seem easy to follow business consultant Terry Narum says he can see where small businesses could encounter problems Terry Narum Midwest Business Consulting It s difficult for employers to get the information that they need particularly if they re not doing a lot of hiring they re small enough that they don t have a human resources department they don t have somebody they can turn to Narum says he encourages employers to look over their I-9 forms on an annual basis and make sure they are in order And he says if an employee needs to fill-out a new form the employer should file it WITH the old one All the government requires from employers is that they demonstrate a good faith effort to comply with hiring statutes