Idaho Enhances Employment Authorization Process

Author: Melissa A. Silver, XpertHR Legal Editor

July 17, 2013

Idaho employers will have additional assurance that their employees are authorized to work in the US now that the state has begun participating in the Records and Information from Department of Motor Vehicles for E-Verify (RIDE) program.  According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), "RIDE helps reduce document fraud and boosts the accuracy of E-Verify employment verifications." Idaho is the third state to participate in RIDE, along with Mississippi and Florida.

E-Verify is a federal electronic verification system employers use to compare the identity information provided by newly hired employees on the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) to the data contained in the databases of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Employers use the information to determine whether the new employees are authorized to work in the US. Since more than 80 percent of employees present a driver's license to establish their identity as part of the determination, the USCIS launched RIDE in June 2011 to enhance the E-Verify program. RIDE validates the authenticity of the driver's licenses presented by comparing driver's license data (from a driver's license, driver's permit or state issued identification card) with state motor vehicle records. If there is a match, E-Verify then compares that information with the information initially entered into E-Verify by the employer.

For instance, if an employee presents a Social Security card to establish his or her employment authorization and a driver's license to establish his or her identity, employers will receive confirmation on both documents. E-Verify confirms the information on the Social Security card and RIDE validates the authenticity of the driver's license.