Everybody in this world has an equal opportunity in the pursuit of happiness and bettering their family’s lives. This is what most immigrants have in their mind when they make the decision to move to another country. The only way to make this dream happen is obtaining citizenship and eventually completing the I-9 form.
Sure, thousands of illegal immigrants are able to sneak into the country and find work under the table, but this is not concrete. In order to successfully advance in the work place and make something of yourself beyond a minimum wage living, you need to become a legal citizen. The I-9 form is the gateway to employment and all those who aren’t legally citizens of the country are turned away, or at least should be. The completion of the I-9 form has been mandatory for any individual applying for a job ever since 1986. It requires many different types of identification and proof that you are a citizen in order to pass and be eligible to hired. Some of the documentation required includes a passport, driver’s license, report card or any other document that can confirm that you were either born or are currently legally living in the country.
If an individual or a company is discovered to have falsified any documents on the I-9 form, penalties and fines are in place to deport and punish illegal immigrants and companies that hire them. Falsifying any legal document is a crime let alone falsifying documents in order to employ illegal immigrants. If a company is suspected of hiring illegal immigrants to benefit from cheap labor, a cease and desist order may be issued. In this case, the company would have to immediately terminate all individuals who are not legal citizens. If the company ignores or refuses to do so, fines could double or even triple depending on how many illegal workers the company currently has. Fines can be anywhere from several hundred dollars and go up to tens of thousands of dollars.
I-9 compliance is vital in running a successful and respectable business and in having a successful career. The I-9 form must be completed and have legitimate documents proving that you eligible for work. Without it you cannot hope to ever make more of yourself because one day or another you will be discovered if you falsify documents.
