I-9 Fines to Jump Upward Along with Other Federal Penalties

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have published final rules that will raise monetary penalties for Form I-9 and H-1B violations dramatically beginning Aug. 1. The penalty structure for I-9 violations will rise from $110-to-$1,100 per instance to $216-to-$2,156. H-1B application violation fines will go from $1,000 per to $1,782. The fines are being adjusted for inflation under the terms of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. Employers can be fined under the new structure for violations dating back to Nov. 2, 2015, so long as the assessments are issued on or after Aug. 1.