Form I-9 Compliance: Let's Review the Basics

Guest Speaker: Joseph "Chip" Black

    Special Agent Joseph (Chip) Black is a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (U.S. ICE). He began his federal law enforcement career in 1995. Special Agent Black has been involved in a variety of criminal investigations, including fraudulent identity creation, identity theft, fraudulent identity document vending, and alien smuggling.

Special Agent Black is currently serving as the North Texas and Oklahoma coordinator for HSI’s "ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers," or "IMAGE" program. In this capacity he is working directly with individual employers in our area by equipping them with the knowledge and the tools needed to ensure the proper completion of the Form I-9 and reducing unauthorized employment, which eventually leads to individual employers obtaining the "IMAGE Member" designation.

Program Information:

With the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) in 1986, employers in the U.S. are required to hire only authorized workers. Employers must document their employees’ identity and work eligibility on the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, at the time of hire. Violations of immigration law can expose employers to possible civil and criminal penalties. Poor employment eligibility verification practices may also lead employers to the inadvertent hiring of unauthorized workers.

Joseph Black, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the criminal investigations division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (U.S. ICE), will provide an overview regarding the proper completion of the Form I-9. Agent Black will review the time frames for completing the form, some of the common mistakes that are made during the completion of the form, how an employer can conduct a self-audit of their existing Forms I-9, and how an employer can make any needed corrections if errors are discovered during a self-audit.

Agent Black is the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) Outreach Coordinator for HSI and U.S. ICE in Oklahoma and Northern Texas and meets with employers on a regular basis. Additional information about the IMAGE program can be found at www.ice.gov/image.

Learning objectives include:

• How to avoid mistakes commonly made during the Form I-9 completion process
• Learn about additional free assistance available to employers who wish to improve their employment eligibility verification practices
• How to "clean up" poorly completed or missing Forms I-9 

SHRM Recertification Credit: 1 PDC

 HRCI Recertification Credit: 1 General  

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