Deadline nears for employers to preserve old E-Verify files

Employers who wish to retain E-Verify records that are more than 10 years old must take steps to download them before Dec. 31.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will delete 10-year-old records from the system Jan. 1, 2016. Employers who have been using E-Verify since before Dec. 31, 2005 and wish to preserve records from prior to that date should download the new Historic Records Report immediately. The report will only be available until Dec. 31.

E-Verify users can read instructions on how to download the Historic Records Report here and find additional information in the USCIS Fact Sheet.

Employers who began using E-Verify after Dec. 31, 2005 will not have any records in the report and, therefore, do not have to take action.

USCIS adopted the deletion schedule last year to comply with policies of the National Archives and Records Administration and to protect personal information contained in the records against risks of disclosure.

BAL Analysis: Employers should review their records retention policies, and if they need to retain E-Verify records that are more than 10 years old, they must act soon and download them before Dec. 31.

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