E-Verify

Like many colleges and universities, Princeton University performs contract work for the federal government. A presidential Executive Order signed in 2008, effective in September 2009, mandates covered federal contractors, including Princeton, enroll in the E-Verify system, which had previously been a voluntary program. 

 

E-verify electronically verifies the Social Security number and employment authorization of employees through an internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). E-Verify supplements the I-9 form process (and does not replace it) by comparing employee identification information against the DHS and SSA electronic databases.

Federal regulations require we use the E-Verify system for individuals working on federal contracts in excess of $100,000 and federal subcontracts over $3,000 which contain Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.222-54.

 

The final DHS regulations for implementation, referred to as the Rule, generally requires federal contractors, including Princeton, to enroll in and use the E-Verify system to check the employment authorization of all new hires and all existing employees, including students, assigned to a covered federal contract. Princeton e-verifies only those employees who work on a covered federal contract, although the Rule permits employers to choose to e-verify either all existing employees or only those employees assigned to an e-verify contract.

 

HR will e-verify all non-student employees, including individuals working on appointments through the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. Noncompliance can jeopardize the federal contract funds we receive.

Individuals who are new to the University and assigned to an E-Verify contract must be e-verified within three days of joining the contract.

The Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) reviews all contracts that come into the University for the new e-verify requirement. ORPA will then contact the department awarded the contract as well as the Office Human Resources, or The Graduate School in the case of graduate students or the Office of Student Employment in the case of undergraduate students, to determine who is working on the e-verify contracts and subcontracts. Each respective office will contact the affected employees or students to notify them that their work status must be e-verified. The department manager or grants manager may be contacted, as well, as necessary.

 

In most instances, employees’ employment eligibility will be confirmed through E-Verify. If you receive a Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC) status, you will be responsible for contesting the result and following up with either the Department of Homeland Security or the Social Security Administration within eight federal working days, depending on the mismatch, to ensure your work eligibility can be verified. Princeton will give you a referral letter that explains what you must do to resolve the TNC.

 

Please visit the FAQ section of our website to learn more about E-Verify, who must be e-verified and other important information.

 

You also can obtain information from the website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.