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Time of India
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What is E-Verify for US employees? Here's what you need to know
E-verify for US employees A job acceptance may feel like the end of the road in the hiring journey, but for many workers in the United States, it's only the beginning of a silent but swift verification process that could determine their ability to actually start the job. At the heart of this digital checkpoint is E-Verify, a powerful tool employers use to confirm whether new hires are legally eligible to work in the country. Though it operates behind the scenes, E-Verify plays a growing role in shaping who gets to work and when. And for employees, understanding the system is no longer optional. It's essential. What exactly is e-verify? E-Verify is an internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in coordination with the Social Security Administration (SSA). It compares information from an employee's Form I-9—a document required by federal law on the first day of employment—with government records to determine if a person is authorized to work in the U.S. Originally created under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the system has expanded significantly in recent years. While not every employer is legally required to use E-Verify, participation is mandatory for federal contractors and in certain states where local law mandates it. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo When does it happen, and what can't employers do? E-Verify may only be used after a candidate has accepted a formal job offer and has completed Form I-9. Employers are strictly prohibited from using it as a pre-employment screening tool. That means your eligibility can't be checked during interviews, assessments, or before the paperwork is signed. If an employer attempts to run an E-Verify check before offering a position, they are not only violating the terms of the system—they may be engaging in unlawful discriminatory practices. Employees should be aware of this boundary and speak up if it is crossed. What happens during the verification process? Once Form I-9 is submitted, the employer inputs details such as your name, date of birth, Social Security number, and immigration or citizenship documentation into the E-Verify portal. In most cases, the system returns a result within three to five seconds. Here's what you might encounter: Employment Authorized : Your data matches government records—no further action needed. Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC) : A mismatch was found. Final Nonconfirmation : You either didn't contest the TNC or couldn't resolve it within the timeline. If you receive a TNC, it doesn't mean you're ineligible to work—it means there's an inconsistency that must be clarified. Employers are legally required to notify you of this and provide written instructions to contest the result. You'll then have eight federal business days to contact the appropriate agency—either DHS or SSA—to begin resolving the issue. Your rights: Non-negotiable and federally protected Employees have specific rights throughout the E-Verify process. These include: The right to be notified of any mismatch. The right to contest that mismatch without retaliation. The right to continue working while the mismatch is being resolved. Protection from discrimination based on nationality, citizenship status, or immigration background. An employer cannot fire, suspend, delay a start date, or change job conditions just because a TNC has been issued. Doing so violates federal anti-discrimination laws and could lead to serious penalties. The importance of accurate documents Most E-Verify mismatches happen because of errors—typos in names, outdated immigration documents, or mismatches between married names and Social Security records. To avoid unnecessary complications, employees should ensure their documents are accurate and up to date before submitting Form I-9. If you're unsure about your records, you can use Self Check, a free tool provided by E-Verify that lets individuals confirm their own work eligibility and flag issues ahead of time. What E-verify is not E-Verify does not determine immigration status. It only checks whether your employment documents match the government's existing records. It also doesn't replace the Form I-9, which employers must still complete and retain for every employee, regardless of E-Verify participation. Nor is E-Verify a mechanism for job applicants to gain work authorization. It's a verification system, not an application process—and should not be confused with pathways like green card sponsorship or work visa applications. Why this matters now more than ever As more employers across industries, from tech startups to retail giants, voluntarily adopt E-Verify, employees across the country are increasingly finding themselves subject to it. Yet most don't realize what's happening until a mismatch occurs. In a labor environment where one error in a database can delay your first paycheck, or worse, cost you a job, proactive knowledge is your best protection. Knowing your rights, understanding the steps, and being ready to respond puts power back into your hands. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
The Citizen
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Nduduzo Makhathini on spiritual understandings anchoring his music and remaining modest
Makhathini was recently awarded the Deutscher Jazzpreis, the German Jazz Prize, in the Live Act of the Year International category. Makhathini was recently awarded the Deutscher Jazzpreis, the German Jazz Prize, in the Live Act of the Year International category. Picture: Supplied (Robert Winter) South African artist Nduduzo Makhathini is one of the world's most recognised pianists, composers and live performers. His live performances are capable of taking you on both a spiritual and artistic journey. He is calm, soft-spoken and quite unassuming. Like Rihanna, he is appreciated at home and beyond the borders of his home country. But like an unknown session musician, he has the humility to remain in the background while simultaneously contributing to some renowned bodies of work, without making a fuss about it. Makhathini was recently awarded the Deutscher Jazzpreis, the German Jazz Prize, in the Live Act of the Year International category. The awards shine the spotlight on the diversity and creativity of the German and international jazz scene. ALSO READ: SA Gen Z's love for new-age Maskandi and Americans' craze over Amazayoni music Modest Makhathini However, in his acquisition of these accolades, Makhathini has remained modest, saying Ubuntu informs this. 'I feel very strongly that when we get these rewards, they are responding to moments that have really past for us artistically,' says the 42-year-old. '…they give me a sense of humility and acceptance that all things we are doing now can only be seen or acknowledged much later and some of it when we're not in this world and that just gives me so much humility.' Makhathini is the first South African artist to be signed to revered international Blue Note Records. Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds, his debut album under Blue Note Records, was named one of the best Jazz Albums of 2020 by The New York Times. He has won the South African Music Awards (Sama), a Metro FM award, and a slew of other accolades. The award-winning musician is a former Head of the Music Department at Fort Hare University and left the role in 2023 to join the University of KwaZulu-Natal as an educator and researcher. ALSO READ: DJ Doowap takes SA street culture to Germany and France Makhathini's musicality He says all of his work is anchored in spiritual understandings. 'It's just really a way of making sense of the intangibility of sound and music and the fact that it is something that we feel [or] sense but do not really see or can even touch. That for me is enough to suggest that music has a transcendental quality.' This transcendental quality, he says, is what people are sensing all around the world. 'So I feel very honoured to receive an award for something that resides within the realms of the intangible, which makes a confirmation that it is really something that is felt and people gather around it all around the world,' he shared. Makhathini has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including both young and established artists, such as the late Zim Ngqawana, Thandiswa Mazwai, and the younger Tumi Mogorosi. 'I've been blessed to collaborate with some of the best musicians from around the world,' says Makhathini. He mentions names like Wynton Marsalis and Billy Harper. Collaboration is fundamental to jazz music, and most acts are comprised of a band, which necessitates collective effort. 'Collaboration is very fundamental in jazz, this music in itself originated as communal music and communal because it was a musical of displacement, a music of homelessness and music of protest during catastrophic moments where people were commodified as slaves,' shares Makhathini. ALSO READ: Siphephelo Ndlovu on his hiatus from music, getting into the family business of TV, as he returns to stage Live at Untitled On Friday, he will share the stage with South African trumpeter Ndabo Zulu and the Soweto Central Chorus. He says the show is part of a project he's been working on, where he challenges himself as an artist to break new sonic barriers. 'I challenged myself by stepping into unfamiliar territory by way of configuration, by way of sound, by way of repertoire,' he says. 'So this is one of those, and I'm really excited to keep going with this idea of an ongoing rehearsal because it liberates the ways we think about being in the world, forgiveness, continuity, space and time concepts and expanded notions of being in the world.' NOW READ: 'Bucket list checked': Zakes Bantwini graduates from Harvard
