Self-check legal option for immigrants

U.S. immigration authorities are planning to make it easier for workers to pre-screen themselves with E-Verify--the electronic database used on a voluntary basis by some employers to screen their workers.

The idea is to make it easier for workers to check on their status before applying for a new job and to speed up the process for getting certified for work. "We are developing it with the goal of employees being able to self-check," Alejandro Mayorkas, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, told the Washington Times.

Mayorkas said his agency "will be ready" to implement any immigrant-legalization program Congress might pass, though he would not give any specifics and said a lot depends on what the new law would look like. On E-Verify, Mayorkas said the program remains a strong tool to help make sure jobs go to citizens and legal immigrants.

"It protects employees from exploitive employers," he said. "It enables employers to ensure the lawfulness of their work force, and therefore comply with the law."

For more on self-checking immigration status:
- see this Washington Times article

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