Coming Soon: E-Verify NextGen Will Streamline Employment Eligibility Verification

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is introducing an enhancement to its E-Verify program that is expected to make the employment eligibility verification process more efficient and accurate. The enhanced program, E-Verify NextGen, will be released in stages during 2024. When fully rolled out, employers with established E-Verify accounts will have the option to use NextGen through their current account.

E-Verify is a system that electronically compares information from an employee’s I-9 (the Employment Eligibility Verification form) to records from the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm an employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S.  It is a voluntary program for many employers. It must be used by federal contractors and other employers based on state law or by contract.

E-Verify NextGen is an internet-based service that integrates the I-9 and E-Verify employment eligibility verification process. With NextGen, a newly hired employee can set up a secure electronic account and automatically send their information and documentation to their E-Verify participating employer.

E-Verify has outlined the following steps to using NextGen, subject to further refinement:

1. After the employee accepts a job offer, the employer will initiate a NextGen case in E-Verify. 
2. The employer then sends the employee a unique link to the NextGen case. 
3. The employee creates a secure electronic account in myE-Verify and enters their personal information and documentation electronically. 
4. E-Verify will confirm the employee’s identity and employment eligibility and notify the employer. 
5. The employer finishes the verification by reviewing the information provided, examining the employee’s I-9 documents, signing and retaining the I-9. 
6. If there is a data mismatch, the system will notify the employee of the result directly and provide detailed instructions on the next steps to resolve the issue. 

Both employees and employers are expected to benefit from NextGen. For employees, the process will provide greater privacy. It is also expected to allow the employee to update and share employment eligibility information with new E-Verify participating employers. For employers, the process will enable cases to be managed in one place. It also eliminates the need for an employer to provide Further Action Notices to an employee by directly providing the notices to the employee.

For more information on NextGen, including introductory video and FAQs, see https://www.e-verify.gov/about-e-verify/whats-new/coming-soon-e-verify-nextgen.