Compliance & Training
COMPLIANCE & TRAINING
We offer ongoing consulting services, in-house training, and comprehensive compliance oversight.
WHY DOES COMPLIANCE MATTER?
Compliance is vital, driven partly by The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). This landmark legislation, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, plays a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of employment immigration in the U.S. IRCA made it a legal requirement for employers to verify their workers' employment eligibility, including citizens and non-citizens, through completing Form I-9. Failure to comply with these verification procedures can lead to severe penalties, such as fines and potential criminal charges.
Additionally, each visa type is subject to limitations that employers and visa holders must comply with. Sapon Immigration informs our clients about these limitations for their visa workers so that strict compliance can allow them to maintain healthy and well-functioning visa programs that last well into the future.
PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE
IRCA legislation established sanctions against employers who engage in discriminatory hiring practices based on an individual's national origin or immigration status. IRCA reinforces employers' legal obligation to verify their employees' work eligibility and emphasizes the need for fair and equitable treatment in the hiring process. Compliance with IRCA is crucial to avoid legal consequences, safeguard a company's reputation, and promote ethical and lawful employment practices in the corporate world.
Noncompliance with individual visa limitations can result in the termination of an organization’s ability to employ foreign nationals and other potential legal and financial consequences.
HOW WE CAN HELP
I-9 Completion & Compliance
Completing the I-9 form may seem straightforward, but even minor errors can result in significant issues. When employing foreign nationals on work authorization, the I-9 form must often be re-verified. Our extensive I-9 form completion and maintenance knowledge can help employers reduce exposure and liability due to errors and non-compliance.
Compliance Audits
As experts in the law, our team conducts large-scale, customized audits. We operate as an extension of your business, working with your team to select employees for interviews, conduct interviews, compile data, and create internal compliance rating systems. This hands-on approach results in actionable recommendations for improvement, preparing your business to meet compliance requirements with success.
Promotions & Position Transfer Reviews
Employing foreign nationals on work visas often comes with strict compliance requirements. These requirements can make promoting those employees much more challenging to navigate. Our extensive knowledge and familiarity with visa requirements allow us to ensure promotions for those workers comply with the limitations of each visa.
Termination & Reporting Requirements
Often, employers are unsure if they can terminate employees working for their organization on work visas. From the outset of their project, we assist our clients with knowing when terminations are appropriate and ensuring the reporting of those terminations to the relevant government agencies.
Employer Obligations
Many employers want to employ foreign nations but are concerned they are either uninformed or misinformed about their obligations. Our attorneys provide clear answers to those questions before beginning any case to seek work visas for foreign nationals.
Visa Renewals & Extensions
Most work visas are temporary, meaning renewing visas or extending their lawful status is a certainty. These processes must be filed promptly, but with so many documents and different expiry dates, it isn’t always clear when and how to proceed. Our legal expertise offers the accurate guidance and counsel you need to ensure you and your employees remain compliant so you can continue employing highly skilled workers who are valuable to your organization.
International Travel Recommendations
The rules about when a visa holder may travel and how long they may remain outside the U.S. vary by visa type and nationality. These inconsistent rules can be challenging for an employer to keep up with. Sapon Immigration has the knowledge and expertise to counsel you and your employees about eligibility for international travel.