DHS Launches E-Verify Self Check

US Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS
News Release
March 21, 2011

On March 21, 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the launch of E-Verify Self Check—an innovative service that allows individuals in the United States to check their employment eligibility status before formally seeking employment.
E-Verify Self Check is the first online E-Verify program offered directly to workers and job seekers. This voluntary, free, fast and secure service was developed through a partnership between DHS and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
As of March 21, 2011, E-Verify Self Check is available to users who maintain an address and are physically located in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia or the District of Columbia.
E-Verify Self Check and Workers
E-Verify Self Check gives individuals in the United States access to their employment eligibility status and gives them an opportunity to submit corrections to their DHS and SSA records, if necessary, before applying for jobs.
The E-Verify Self Check process consists of four steps:
Users enter identifying information online (such as name, date of birth and address).
Users confirm their identity by answering demographic and/or financial questions generated by a third-party identity assurance service.
Users enter work eligibility information such as a Social Security number and, depending on citizenship status, an Alien Registration number.
E-Verify Self Check checks users’ information against relevant SSA and DHS databases and returns information on users’ employment eligibility status.
The information that users provide to E-Verify Self Check and the results of an E-Verify Self Check query are never shared with users’ employers or prospective employers. The results of a Self Check query do not replace the results of an employer E-Verify query.
An individual’s status or information may change between the time they use Self Check and when an employer uses E-Verify. Accordingly, if E-Verify Self Check confirms that an individual is authorized to work in the United States, it does not necessarily mean that a future E-Verify query will find the same individual to be employment authorized.
If Self Check is unable to confirm employment authorization, individuals are provided with instructions on how to resolve a potential data mismatch in their SSA or DHS records. These instructions are available in English and Spanish.
In addition to E-Verify Self Check, individuals have several ways to confirm their employment eligibility and correct their government records if necessary. They may:
Wait until an employer checks their employment eligibility through E-Verify. If issues arise, employers will inform individuals of the next steps.
Request a Social Security Statement from SSA. This statement includes the individual’s full name, date of birth and the last four digits of his or her Social Security number as they appear in SSA records.
Verifying the statement’s accuracy may prevent mismatches during an E-Verify query.
To learn more about Social Security Statements and to request a statement, visit www.ssa.gov/mystatement.
Contact the USCIS National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 800-375-5283, TTY 800-767-1833.
Self Check will not affect a user’s credit score. Users viewing their credit reports after using Self Check will see a record of a “soft hit” or “soft inquiry” in the report. Soft hits are not shown to businesses and are not used to calculate credit scores.
Individuals cannot be required to use E-Verify Self Check to prove work authorization. Individuals who are asked by employers or anyone else to run a Self Check query to prove that they are authorized to work in the United States, or who believe they are victims of any other type of discrimination or unfair labor practice related to Self Check, should notify the Department of Justice’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices at 800-255-7688.
For general inquiries about Self Check, contact the E-Verify Employee Hotline at (888) 897-7781.
E-Verify Self Check and Employers
E-Verify Self Check is expected to reduce the number of data mismatches employers experience when using E-Verify and, as a result, will decrease the amount of time and resources they spend resolving those mismatches. For more information on E-Verify Self Check, visit at www.uscis.gov or call the E-Verify Employee Hotline at (888) 897-7781.

Full News Release: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=9feb59984b9de210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=8a2791daff2df110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD