Hiring Immigrants

• 1Do you recall filling out an I-9 form in the last three years, that is a federal form associated with hiring new employees?
• 2What type of picture ID do new employees most often provide you to show that they are the person they say they are?
• 2aWould you estimate that at least 90 percent of the new employees use a for picture ID?
• 3What type of ID do new employees most often provide you to show that they are eligible to work in the United States?
• 3aWould you estimate that at least 90 percent of the new employees use a (response in Q#3) for picture ID?
• 4Do you make photocopies of those documents and retain them?
• 5How long do you retain the actual I-9 form? Do you retain the I-9 for as long as the person works for you, for a longer period than that, or for a shorter period than that?
• 6In the last three years, have you experienced or strongly suspected anyone of attempting to give you false or counterfeit ID for purposes of getting hired?
• 7A non-match letter is a letter telling you that a Social Security number you submitted with an employee’s name either does not exist or is not associated with that employee. In the last three years, has the Social Security Administration sent you a non-match letter?
• 7a(non-match letter) About how many times has that occurred in the last three years?
• 7bA mismatch can occur due to a clerical error or an employee not having a valid Social Security number. Is a clerical error always, sometimes or never the reason for your Social Security number mismatches?
• 7cDoes it typically take less than a week, one to two weeks, or longer than two weeks to resolve mismatch problems?
• 8When you hire someone, is the most common time frame between the actual hire and when the person starts to work:?
• 8aDo you commonly, sometimes, or never start a new employee the day he or she was hired or the day immediately following?
• 9Do you have a photocopy machine in your place of business?
• 9aIs there a photocopy machine you can use within five minutes of your business?
• 10In the last year, have you hired any “day labor” for the business, that is, a person or persons to do usually manual labor for a day or two knowing the work is just for that brief period.
• 11Does your business employ an immigrant worker or workers of any kind?
• 12Would your business directly benefit a lot, directly benefit a little, be damaged a little, or be damaged a lot by increasing the number of immigrant work visas available for highly skilled people, known as H1B visas. Or, would your business not be affected by a change in the number of H1B visas?
• 13Would your business directly benefit a lot, directly benefit a little, be damaged a little, or be damaged a lot by increasing the number of immigrant work visas available for seasonal workers, known as H2B visas. Or, would your business not be affected by a change in the number of H2B visas?
• 14In the last three years, have you needed an explanation of the law or legal requirements with respect to hiring immigrants or to complete I-9 forms for the people you hire?

Volume 8, Issue 2, 2008
ISSN 1534-8326

William J. Dennis, Jr.
NFIB Research Foundation