USCIS released an overview of an independent party’s analysis of the E-Verify system. Key findings in the survey and study, conducted by a third party (Westat), are listed below. One of the major key findings was that identity fraud detection may be difficult with E-Verify when sifting through the unauthorized worker list.
Key findings:
- Overall, 96% of initial E-Verify responses aligned with the work authorization status of the person
- Of all E-Verify queries, 6.2% are related to unauthorized workers. Approximately half of the 6.2% of unauthorized workers result with incorrect categorization as “work authorized.”
USCIS states that many individuals included in the 50% wrongly classified as “work authorized” under the unauthorized worker group are due to identity fraud. As a result, E-Verify is working to better detect identity fraud by:
- Increasing the number of photographs in the system
- Implementing state partnership initiatives to share information and data
- Developing and introducing methods for both locating and preventing identity fraud in E-Verify system use.