DHS tests E-Verify app
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To better accommodate businesses that are increasingly relying on mobile workflows, the Department of Homeland Security said it will test an iOS-based version of the E-Verify employment eligibility verification program.
To better accommodate businesses that are increasingly relying on mobile workflows, the Department of Homeland Security said it will test an iOS-based version of the E-Verify employment eligibility verification program.
The mobile app, described in a Jan. 15 DHS privacy impact statement, would allow employers to check the citizenship status of employees using their mobile phones and tablets, according to the document.
Once users download the app and complete the required tutorial, they can login using their existing E-Verify credentials and begin creating and managing E-Verify cases -- following the same case management processes they would with the browser-based version of E-Verify.
The app allows employers to create and process verification using information from an employee's Form I-9. The device's camera will capture images of the employers' Employee Authorization Card, automatically recording the information. The app captures personally identifiable information like Social Security number and date of birth, along with name, date of hire, citizenship status and the numbers of pertinent visa, the numbers assigned by CIS documents. However, the app is designed to pass along information, but not store anything permanently on the device.
Information will be transmitted via using Hyper Text Transfer Protocols with Secure Socket Layers (https), and users must remain connected to the Internet while using the app. It will not store information if the connection is lost.
E-Verify is a voluntary, Internet-based system that allows employers to confirm employment eligibility of new hires by matching information provided by employees on employment verification forms against existing information in the DHS Verification Information System.
DHS had originally "mobile optimized" E-Verify in 2012, but that version worked poorly because the content did not scale to the screen sizes of mobile devices. The new app will accommodate tablets and smartphones, and goes a long way in fulfilling a 2014 congressional mandate to CIS modify the system for mobile devices, the document said.
During the trial period, DHS said users who volunteer to test the app will be able to download it for free from the Apple App Store, then log in using their existing E-Verify credentials. Testers can self-report actual performance time through the Apple TestFlight feedback tool.
There's no word yet on an Android version.
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