Final Rule on Form I-9 Released

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have replaced the interim rule of 2009 with the final rule, effective May 2011.

The Final I-9 Rule states the following:
- Employers are prohibited from accepting expired documents because they are subject to fraud and have the possibility of not having the current status of the bearer.
- Form I-688, “Temporary Resident Card”, and Forms I-688A and I-688B, “Employment Authorization Cards”, are no longer on the list of approved documents. These documents are no longer being issued and therefore are officially expired.
- The new U.S. Passport card and the temporary Form I-551, known as a “Permanent Resident Card” with a printed notation on a machine-readable immigrant visa, are now added to the list of approved documents on List A of Form I-9.

Employers may use either Form I-9 with the revision date of Aug. 7, 2009, or Form I-9 with the Feb. 2, 2009, revision date. The agency stated that the expiration date of Feb. 2, 2009, Form I-9, has been extended until Aug. 31, 2012.

Federal Judge Places Temporary Injunction on Sections of the Georgia Immigration Law

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Thrash granted a temporary injunction on certain parts of the new Georgia Immigration Law on Monday June 27, 2011. Judge Thrash declared the criminal aspect of the law did not coincide with federal law, especially the provisions empowering police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects and those prohibiting the transport, harboring and enticing of illegal aliens. The E-Verify provisions were not blocked and will go into effect on July 1, 2011.

For more details on blocked and non-blocked provisions email todd@laihr.com.

Lowden & Associates, Inc. is sponsoring a FREE webinar covering the details of this law on July 12 at 11:00 a.m. For more information, click here.

HR Partners FREE Webinar Series- New Georgia Immigration Law

Join Lowden & Associates, Inc. on July 12, as we state the details of the new Georgia immigration law and what is required of your business.

This FREE hour long Webinar will explore everything you will need to protect your company and stay in compliance:
- What is E-Verify and how to use it
- When you are required to participate in E-Verify
- Additional steps required for contractors and subcontractors for the State of Georgia
- What will result in imprisonment and fines
- And much more

Here at LAI, we pride ourselves on taking top notch care of our clients and offering the best up to date information. Come learn how to successfully remain in compliance under the new Georgia Immigration Law at our Complimentary Webinar.

Tuesday July 12, 2011
11:00 a.m.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY
Contact Todd Weyandt
todd@laihr.com
770.248.0401 ext. 20

FREE Webinar to Protect Your Company from Social Media

Due to popular demand on the subject, Lowden & Associates is offering a complimentary webinar on creating effective strategies and policies to protect companies from the pitfalls of social media.

Social Media is growing in popularity each day, but so are the increases in corporate vulnerabilities. There is no doubt, when harnessed correctly, social networking can be a powerful weapon in any company's arsenal. The Catch 22 is that same weapon can blow up in the company's face just as easily.

Fear not, there are ways to minimize the risk while increasing the effectiveness of Social Media.

We pride ourselves on taking world class care of our clients. LAI would like to extend a personal invite to you to come learn successful Social Media strategies at a Complimentary Webinar, sponsored by Lowden & Associates, Inc.

Wednesday June 15, 2011
11:00 a.m.

RESERVE TODAYContact Todd Weyandt
todd@laihr.com
770.248.0401

Illegal Immigration Reform Comes to Georgia

Illegal immigration reform has come to the State of Georgia. This month Georgia Republican Governor Nathan Deal signed into law a controversial bill addressing screening illegal workers during the new hire process in companies with 10 or more employees.

The bill’s proponents claimed the state’s 500,000 illegal immigrants are causing a undue hardship on Georgia taxpayers, schools, hospitals and law enforcement agencies. This new law will require Georgia businesses with more than 10 employees to register in the federal E-Verify online work authorization system, checking verification of new workers to be legally in the Untied States.

After signing the bill into state law, Governor Deal addressed reporters saying the bill will “uphold the rule of law, level the playing field for employers and protect the taxpayers”.

Throughout this year’s General Assembly session, the bill created strong debate on both sides of the issue. State Representative Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, who is the bill’s primary sponsor, stated he understands “how important business is to our state” and the new law “represents our responsibility to watch the taxpayers’ bottom line, just as businesses watch their bottom lines”.

For more information on the new Georgia immigration law as it relates to your business, please contact 770.248.0401.

Social Media Policy: Protecting Companies from Pitfalls of Social Media

Social Media is here to stay and because of that companies today can either embrace it or get left behind.

People spend 700 billion minutes on Facebook alone every single month. Everybody is increasingly becoming more connected with each other than ever before. We live in a world where limitless information is at our fingertips and breaking news can happen in real time over a person's Twitter account.

Companies can no longer afford to put Social Media on the back burner or bury their heads in the sand with this issue. The hard part is a simple one size fits all does not even come close to fitting all when Social Media is involved. Every company must answer a few critical questions in order to get on the road to avoid common pitfalls.

First, is your company going to proactively address Social Media or are you going to wait until a controversy arises and then try your hand at Social Media?

How are you going to use Social Media? For brand recognition? To drive sales? Connect with clients, employees and/or prospects?

Who is responsible for maintaining the company's public image on Social Media?

Once these basic questions have been answered a company can then turn their attention towards creating a detailed Social Media Policy. As an addition to an effective Employee Handbook, a company's Social Media Policy should cover everything from the above questions to what is going to count as Social Media for you company (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Photo Sharing sites, Wikis, etc.) to confidential information to monitoring systems to harassment and much more.

An effective Social Media Policy can help reduce the risk of Social Media, giving a company a solid footing to avoid common pitfalls that can have a devastating and costly effect. If you have any questions or for help writing your Social Media Policy today, contact Todd Weyandt at 770.248.0401 or todd@laihr.com.

Are You Prepared for the Demands of Social Media on Companies Today?

Social Media is growing in popularity each day, but so are the increases in corporate vulnerabilities. There is no doubt, when harnessed correctly, social networking can be a powerful weapon in any company's arsenal. The Catch 22 is that same weapon can blow up in the company's face just as easily.

Fear not, there are ways to minimize the risk while increasing the effectiveness of Social Media.

Come learn successful Social Media strategies at a Complimentary Lunch-n-Learn
sponsored by Lowden & Associates, Inc.

Wednesday May 4, 2011
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

LAI Headquarters
3105 Medlock Bridge Road
Norcross, GA 30071

SPACE IS LIMITED, RESERVE TODAY
Contact Todd Weyandt
todd@laihr.com
770.248.0401