I-9 vs. E-Verify vs. Biometrics

What it does

• I-9 (Form): Collects employee’s documents and info to confirm identity & work authorization.
• E-Verify: Cross-checks I-9 data against SSA & DHS databases.
• Biometric Verification: Confirms the person is the rightful document holder via face/fingerprint/iris match.

Who performs it

• I-9 (Form): Employer (or authorized representative).
• E-Verify: Online system (DHS/SSA).
• Biometric Verification: Automated system (with AI + liveness checks).

Identity validation

• I-9 (Form): Visual inspection of documents only.
• E-Verify: No — assumes the person presenting is the rightful owner.
• Biometric Verification: Yes — ensures the employee matches their ID.

Work authorization check

• I-9 (Form): Yes, but only based on presented documents.
• E-Verify: Yes — verifies against federal records.
• Biometric Verification: Indirect — validates identity, not legal status.

SSN check

• I-9 (Form): No.
• E-Verify: Yes (matches against SSA database).
• Biometric Verification: No (unless integrated with other databases).

Fraud detection

• I-9 (Form): Weak — can be fooled with fake/borrowed docs.
• E-Verify: Medium — catches invalid/mismatched SSN/records, but fails if stolen ID is valid.
• Biometric Verification: Strong — detects imposters using stolen identities.

Remote option

• I-9 (Form): Limited (DHS allows alternative procedures for some employers).
• E-Verify: Online, but tied to I-9 submission.
• Biometric Verification: Yes — selfie/video checks enable remote verification.

Audit trail

• I-9 (Form): Paper or electronic record.
• E-Verify: DHS/SSA system logs.
• Biometric Verification: Secure digital logs with biometrics + timestamp.

Legal requirement

• I-9 (Form): Mandatory for all U.S. employers.
• E-Verify: Voluntary (except federal contractors & some states).
• Biometric Verification: Not legally required, but adds stronger compliance & fraud prevention.

Takeaway

• I-9 = Mandatory baseline
• E-Verify = Database check for work eligibility + SSN
• Biometrics = Identity proofing to stop impersonation

Together, they form a full compliance stack:
I-9 (legal requirement) + E-Verify (authorization check) + Biometrics (identity assurance).