In a complaint filed with the department, the employee, a lawful permanent resident, alleged that Imagine School improperly terminated him after he failed to produce an unexpired lawful permanent resident card, also known as “green card,” during reverification of his employment eligibility status for purposes of Form I-9. The employee had originally presented a valid lawful permanent resident card when he was hired, and alleged that his reverification, along with the request for a specific document, was unlawful under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under the rules governing employment eligibility verification, certain documents, including lawful permanent resident cards and U.S. passports, are not subject to reverification. The anti-discrimination provision prohibits discrimination based on citizenship or national origin in the employment eligibility verification process or reverification process. 

Under the settlement agreement, Imagine Schools Inc. agrees to pay $20,169 in back pay plus interest to the charging party and $600 in civil penalties to the United States. Imagine Schools Inc. also agrees to comply with the law, to train its human resources personnel about employers’ responsibilities to avoid discrimination in the employment eligibility verification process, and to be subject to reporting and compliance monitory requirements for 18 months.

“All work-authorized individuals have the right to work without facing discriminatory hurdles during the employment eligibility verification or reverification process based on their citizenship status or national origin,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The department is committed to ensuring authorized workers are treated fairly during the employment eligibility verification process.”

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA, which protects work authorized individuals from employment discrimination on the basis of citizenship status or national origin discrimination, including discrimination in hiring and the employment eligibility verification (Form I-9) process. The Justice Department was represented by Luz V. Lopez-Ortiz in this matter.

If you have an I-130 or I-140 petition that has a priority date earlier than listed in your category, you are now eligible to receive an immigrant visa.

It is never too early to file your immigrant visa application, DON’T WAIT. Contact us immediately to evaluate your immigration options for the best and fastest way you can become a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). Call us at 469-916-7900 or email immigration@badmuslaw.com

To read the new Q & A memorandum, click here.

Badmus Law Firm will recognize and honor 11 exceptional immigrants who have demonstrated leadership in business, a chosen profession, or in the civic arena. Winners of the Immigrant Journey Awards will be announced at awards luncheon on March 22
In a continuing effort to shine a spotlight on immigrant achievements in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Badmus Law Firm will honor 11 individuals who have reached the pinnacle of success at the 2012 Immigrant Journey Awards Luncheon on Thursday, March 22.

Of the 10 finalists, two award winners each will get named in the Immigrant Entrepreneur and Immigrant Professional Excellence categories, while one receives recognition as an Immigrant Advocate. Dallas County Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia will receive the Immigrant Spirit Award.

“We meet immigrants when they first decide to make the United States their new home,” said Ann Badmus, founding member of the Badmus Law Firm. “So it’s rewarding to honor these accomplished individuals with much-deserved recognition. Their stories show strength and determination in overcoming major challenges.”

This year’s nominees include a diverse group of achievers – all of whom turned ideas and creativity into successes. They include:

 Fernando Andrade, president and CEO, GSR Andrade Architects Inc.
• Joyce Brown, founder and CEO, EFW Montessori School Inc.
• Sante Chary, CEO, U.S. Physicians Resources
• Neha Kunta, president and CEO, MNK Infotech
• Sandya George, CEO, Wonderland Montessori Academy of McKinney
• Olubayo A. Idowu, M.D. FACP
• Douglas Interiano, president, Proyecto Inmigrante ICS Inc.
• Juan Miguel Lopez, CEO, Mito Financial
• Mosaic Family Services
• Juan J. Williams, CEO, Nvisionit Financial Solutions

Winners will be announced on Thursday, March 22, at the Addison Conference and Theatre Center, 15650 Addison Rd., in Addison, Texas. The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are available at http://immigrantjourney2012.eventbrite.com/.

Featured speaker for the second-annual event is Raul Magdaleno, director of diversity and community engagement at Southern Methodist University Meadows School of Arts and a 2004 Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

Previous Immigrant Journey Awards winners include Jose Fuentes and Gloria Rubio, owners of Gloria’s Restaurants; Oscar Pareja, FC Dallas assistant coach; and Joe Chow, former Addison mayor and founder of the May Dragon restaurant.

The Immigration Policy Center recently released The Future of a Generation: How New Americans Will Help Support Retiring Baby Boomers, by Walter Ewing, Ph.D. 

The United States is in the midst of a profound demographic transformation that will long outlast the current economic downturn. In 2011, the first of the baby boomers—Americans born between 1946 and 1964—turned 65 years old. There are 77 million baby boomers, comprising nearly one quarter of the total population, and their eventual retirement will have an enormous impact on the U.S. economy.

There will be growing demand within the U.S. economy for younger workers and taxpayers as the number of working-age adults supporting those over 65 diminishes. More and more of these workers and taxpayers will be immigrants and the children of immigrants. Given these trends, and given the size of the predominantly white, native-born baby boom generation that is now heading into retirement, projections point to an inescapable conclusion: immigrants and the children of immigrants will play increasingly important roles within the U.S. economy as workers and taxpayers for decades to come.

 

• The Future of a Generation: How New Americans Will Help Support Retiring Baby Boomers, by Walter Ewing, Ph.D. (IPC Fact Check, February 2012)

“We are pleased to complete, ahead of schedule, our expansion of this important tool for employees,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas during a press conference at the agency’s field office in Orlando, Fla. “Since our initial launch in March, approximately 67,000 people have used Self Check and we anticipate that participation will dramatically increase with service now available to individuals across the country.”

Self Check was developed through a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to provide individuals a tool to check their own employment eligibility status, as well as guidance on how to correct their DHS and SSA records. It is the first online E-Verify service offered directly to workers. Available in English and Spanish, Self Check enables individuals to enter the same information into Self Check that employers enter into E-Verify.

Since the program’s inception, thousands of individuals have used Self Check, available in English and Spanish, to access their federal employment eligibility records and for guidance on how to correct potential record discrepancies prior to the hiring process.

In August 2011, Self Check became a bi-lingual service available to users in both English and Spanish, broadening the scope of the program to members of our U.S. workforce who are more com

If you have an I-130 or I-140 petition that has a priority date earlier than listed in your category, you are now eligible to receive an immigrant visa. 

It is never too early to file your immigrant visa application, DON’T WAIT. Contact us immediately to evaluate your immigration options for the best and fastest way you can become a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). Call us at 469-916-7900 or email immigration@badmuslaw.com