Immigrants - Employers
We have discussed aspects of
this problem in our newsletters of November/December 2006 and
January/February 2007 [Invalid SSNs – What
To Do (Parts 1 and 2)]. For more
background on the basic problems, you may want to refer to those newsletters.
Because this is a developing
issue, we will not repeat much of what was said in the earlier newsletters but
focus here instead on what has
changed.
President Bush says that
although Congress has not passed much-needed immigration reform, his
administration will take greater steps to enforce existing laws.
It is anticipated that there will be additional emphasis on prosecution
of employers who hire illegal immigrants.
The new rules were supposed to
go into effect in September 2007, but a federal judge has temporarily delayed
their taking effect pending the outcome of a court proceeding.
Under both the prior and the new
regulations, an employer, when it receives a “no match letter,” will be
required to notify its employee that there appears to be a mismatch between the
Social Security Administration’s records and those of the Internal Revenue
Service or other government agencies. The
periods of time within which the respective steps are taken from the date the
employer receives a “no match letter” are outlined below:
Within 30 days –
The employer must check his records.
If employer records are correct the employer must inform the worker of
the discrepancy.
Within 90 days (was 60 days) –
The worker must contact the appropriate agency and correct the error.
Within 93 days (was 63 days) –
If the employee does not resolve the mismatch within 90 days after the employer
receives the letter, the employee has three days to fill out new paperwork and
provide the necessary documentation.
On 94th day – If
the worker cannot provide the documentation, the employer must fire the worker
or risk becoming liable for failing to act.
The key emphasis of the new
rules is to try to force employers to fire employees who cannot provide adequate
documentation. If the employer does not fire such employees, the employer may be
prosecuted.
What is an employer to do? Even
the Bush administration acknowledges that the databases available to employers
for addressing no-match issues are not perfect.
For some employers, the choice
will be to “keep on keepin’ on” — to continue to treat the immigrants
with insufficient documentation (“Podocs”) as they did before their status
was questioned.
It is estimated by some groups
that at least two thirds of those immigrants working in the construction and
agricultural industries are illegal and that there is no replacement workforce
that would serve to replace the immigrant workers thought to be illegal.
Undoubtedly there will be many
employers who take this course of action and hope that they are not prosecuted,
because in many instances the Podoc workers are good workers, and there is
genuine friendship between the employer and the employee. But if the new rules
go into effect, the risks of this approach will increase.
Another alternative would be to
treat the Podocs as independent contractors, but under IRS rulings, many Podocs
will not qualify as independent contractors.
The reality is that some smaller businesses, denied the services of illegal immigrants, may be forced to close their doors. Perhaps this is what caused The Washington Post to state in an editorial on August 12, 2007, “The nation is saddled with a [n immigration] law that cannot work. The economy as long as it continues to grow, will continue to attract immigrants and they will come illegally if there is no other way.”
The purpose of the newsletter is not to suggest a
course of action but to advise employers and readers of the dilemma facing a
nation without a sufficient work force and inadequate immigration laws.
Copyright 2007
Published by the law firm of Newland & Associates, PLC
9835 Business Way
Manassas, VA 20110
Call us at (703) 330-0000 for a full range of business law and
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While designed to be accurate, this publication is not intended to constitute the rendering of legal, accounting, or other professional services or to serve as a substitute for such services.
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