WASHINGTON Federal authorities said they would step up enforcement of an 11-year-old law prohibiting foodservice operators and other employers from accepting five types of documents that previously had been authorized as proof of identity and authorization to work.
The revised employment rules are based on a law passed 11 years ago by Congress to cut down on illegal immigration. However, until now, the necessary changes had not been made to the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form, which is the standard government employment verification document.
According to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the new I-9 states that employers can no longer accept certificates of U.S. citizenship or naturalization, Alien Registration Receipt Card form I-151, unexpired re-entry permits and refugee travel documents from job candidates.
Authorities said the five documents were disallowed because they were easily falsified or counterfeited.
Instead, employers now can only accept a U.S. passport, a Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card form I-551, an unexpired foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp, an unexpired Employment Authorization Document containing a photo, or an unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired "Arrival-Departure" record.
The enforcement of the new rules is part of the federal government's drive to step up national security and crack down on illegal immigration.
The government said employers would have a one-month grace period before being penalized for violating the law.