Although eighty-seven percent of employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are exempt from a lapse in government funding, the E-Verify system, administered by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of DHS, is offline due to the shutdown.

The E-Verify system screens new employees for their eligibility to work in the US.

A message on the E-Verify website reads: “Due to the lapse in federal funding … E- Verify and E-Verify services are unavailable.”

With the exception of federal contractors, the use of E-Verify by employers is not required by federal law. However, some states, such as Arizona and Mississippi, have mandated its use by all employers in those states while other states encourage its use.

USCIS has recommended that employers continue to submit the required form I-9 for employment eligibility verification and verify those already hired once the system is back up and running.

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