Employment eligibility definition

A federal law known as The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA)
affects all employers and requires that employers only hire individuals who are defined as eligible for employment.

The intent of this law is to prevent the employment of individuals who are illegally in the United States. All individuals are required to provide documentary evidence of employment eligibility at time of hire. THis is done by following Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. An employer may lawfully refuse to hire an individual who fails to provide appropriate documents at time of hire.

The IRCA is enforced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).