The department of Homeland Security has delayed the effective date for mandating certain federal government contractors to start using the E-Verify program. The original date of January 15th has sent contractors scrambling to ready themselves to meet the deadline. Contractors may now have until February 20th before the requirement to utilize the E-Verify program will be imposed on them under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) contracts.
The delay is due to a concerted effort by several business groups criticizing the executive order and filing a legal suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, claiming among other things that congress established the E-Verify program as a voluntary program and therefore by making it mandatory puts it in direct conflict with the provisions of Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA).
EANJ will be keeping a close eye on the developments with regard to implementation of the final rule and as always, will keep you informed.