"Small firms to face hiring audits"

The June 7, 2010 edition of Charleston Regional Business Journal features an article entitled "Small firms to face hiring audits."

In the report, Nexsen Pruet immigration attorney Melissa Azallion and Employment and Labor Law Group chair David Dubberly shared insight into how new immigration audits will impact South Carolina businesses.

Reporter Ashley Fletcher Frampton wrote about how the second phase of the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act begins this summer.  After July 1st, "businesses with fewer than 100 employees must be prepared to prove they are verifying the work status of new hires."

Azallion said that "under the South Carolina law, using E-Verify is a safe harbor.  So, by doing that, when the auditors come in, if you are relying on that result, they are not going to penalize you.  And a lot of employers like that security."

In addition to new audits of smaller businesses, Dubberly said he expects the state Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation to revisit larger businesses that were already cited for violations.  "It should be somebody's job to be familiar with what goes on in these inspections and to be basically familiar with how LLR works and what that person is going to do and say when the inspector comes on site, to hopefully get the inspection over as quickly as possible," said Dubberly.

Nexsen Pruet has one of the largest, most experienced Employment and Labor Groups in the Carolinas. With more than 25 attorneys, we provide a comprehensive range of services to businesses of all sizes.