Along for the RIDE

Recently, North Dakota became the latest state to sign up for RIDE (Records and Information from DMVs for E-Verify), joining Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi and Nebraska. RIDE is an ongoing E-Verify initiative that links E-Verify with participating state driver licensing agencies in conjunction with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

By partnering with AAMVA and state motor vehicle offices, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) leverage the existing driver status exchange system — Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS) — to verify driver’s license information against state records. If information matches, then the employee is eligible to work in the United States. However, if there is an issue, then the employer is alerted and the employee is required to resolve the issue.

E-Verify is the Internet-based system that confirms employment eligibility by comparing information from an employee’s Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records. About half of the states have no current legal requirement for employers to use E-Verify, while the rest have laws either in effect (for all employers, state agencies or with other limitations) or pending.

Form I-9

Employers must complete and retain Form I-9 to document verification of the identity and employment authorization of each new employee (both citizen and noncitizen) hired after November 6, 1986, to work in the U.S. Form I-9 is made up of three sections, and employers may be fined if the form is not complete.

Section 1 of Form I-9 must be completed and signed by newly hired employees no later than the first day of employment (but should never be completed before the employee has accepted a job offer). The information for this section includes the employee’s name, address, date of birth, Social Security Number and (optionally) email address and telephone number.

The employee must also attest in Section 1 (under penalty of perjury) to their citizenship or immigration status by checking one of four boxes:  1. citizen of the U.S., 2. noncitizen national of the U.S., 3. lawful permanent resident or 4. alien authorized to work. If 4 is selected, the employee must record the date employment authorization expires (if any) and also enter the Alien Registration Number or USCIS number.

Section 2 of Form I-9 must be completed by employers by examining evidence of identity and employment authorization within three business days of the employee’s first day of employment. Employers or their authorized representative must:  1. examine each original document the employee presents to determine if it reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the person presenting it, 2. record the document title shown on the lists of acceptable documents, issuing authority, document number and expiration date (if any) from the original document(s) the employee presents and 3. enter the employee's first day of employment.

RIDE as double-verifier

RIDE gives employers the ability to use state records to validate the authenticity of an employee’s driver’s license, permit or state-issued ID card when presented during the I-9 process. Additional states are expected to begin participating in this more efficient method of fraud detection.

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