Citizenship

[RRS]

I had the first person apply for a job that may not be a legal citizen. So far everyone I've hired has had a drivers license so I've never crossed this bridge before. I'd really like to hire this guy, but won't do it if he's illegal.

What documents do you guys require from applicants to prove citizenship?

[mcdonnell all season]

personally, No Drivers License, No Hire.......If you are questioning it this would be an easy out. All you have to tell him is that he would need a drivers license because he will have to eventually have to drive. Tell him to go out and get a drivers license and come back and reapply and alow him some time if you really want him to work for you..

[Phil Nilsson]

A birth certificate is one of the best indicators ...

[RRS]

It's not really important to me that this guy can drive.

With the birth certificate. There is no question about the fact the guy wasn't born in the U.S. What would I need to see to prove he is now a legal citizen?

[Allan]

This site pretty much spells it out.

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98164,00.html

If I understand it right (and I think that I do), you must believe that someone is eligible to work. If they give you proof - the form tells you what is acceptable - then you can hire them. You are not required to send this information to the INS.

Okay, Juan, I see that you have a drivers license and a social security card. They appear to be genuine. Welcome to the company.

You don't have to be a citizen to work.

[RRS]

If I understand it right (and I think that I do), you must believe that someone is eligible to work. If they give you proof - the form tells you what is acceptable - then you can hire them. You are not required to send this information to the INS.

Okay, Juan, I see that you have a drivers license and a social security card. They appear to be genuine. Welcome to the company.

You don't have to be a citizen to work.

It's really more of a moral and professional issue to me.

I'll check out that site. Thanks.

[Allan]

It's really more of a moral and professional issue to me.

I'll check out that site. Thanks.

Okay, here comes the can of worms. Let me preface this by saying that I am fairly sure that I don't have any illegals working for me. As far as I know everyone is a US Citizen (except me).

What really is a moral problem to me is that our government encourages mexicans to cross the border. I know that it technically is illegal but they say "Don't swim the river but if you really need to then we will look the other way while you do." A while ago here in Tulsa they caught a vanload of illegals and just let them go. And I am not supposed to give these people work?

I think that I understand your position here but a little consistancy from our government would be helpful here.

It seems to me that the government has the moral responsibility here to either start deporting or allow them to work. The two-faced policy isn't working very well and the government refuses to deport.

[RRS]

I honestly don't know much about the whole situation so I'm not even going to comment one way or the other.

The only real moral issue I have is to follow the law. I try to abide by the rules where at all possible, and as far as I know hiring illegal aliens is against the law.

[Allan]

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't saying that you shoud hire them. I was just venting a little.

As far as following the rules goes, that is where that link comes in. If you click on the 1-9 form, it tells you very explicitly what your obligations are. It is not your job to verify everything - you must just verify that they appear to have legal documents. In fact, it specifically says in bold print at the bottom that you should not mail the form in to the INS. Your job is to follow the steps - everything else is up to the government. In fact, it also says that it is illegal for you to discriminate against someone who is eligible for work. If they appear to have legal documents then they are candidates for employment as far as you are concerned.

Now, I know that there are many fake documents, but some are real. It appears that the government would rather err on the side of hiring an illegal and firing them 2 years later when the INS finds out than not hiring someone who is eligible to work.

If this guy has documents and is a good worker I would hire him.

[RRS]

If this guy has documents and is a good worker I would hire him.

I probably will.

I've had an ad on richmond.com, in the newspaper, and the nursery. Only two people applied and they were college students going back to school in the fall.

[Mike J]

Is the pay worth my commute Casey?

[RRS]

Is the pay worth my commute Casey?

$9/hr. It would probably be about the same commute time as the people that travel from Richmond to DC every day. What a hellish drive that is.

[ohreallythanks]

If this guy has documents and is a good worker I would hire him.

sounds like a winna to me

[RRS]

Well, I hired him this morning. Turns out he is completely legal and has his drivers license and vehicle. The guy speaks Portuguese (sp?) which is similar to the Spanish spoken in Spain, and not much at all like the half azzed South American Spanish that I speak. So between the two of us we sound like a couple monkeys trying to communicate!

I think he'll be good worker though. 34 years old, 5 years experience landscaping, and from what I've seen a very skilled carpenter (he approached me while working on a house next to my storage unit). They were paying him $7/hour.

[MOWANDGO]

Ask him for a green card, or a visa that allows him to work.