The U.S. Department of Justice has increased a variety of immigration-related fines/penalties, effective December 13, 2021. These increases were pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015. Since that time, penalties have been adjusted yearly based on the rate of inflation, which for last year was 1.01182 percent.
Below are the offenses with the old and new penalties after November 2, 2015:
| OFFENSE | PRIOR FINE | NEW FINE |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration-related discrimination – 1st offense | $481 – $3,855 | $487 – $ 3,901 |
| Immigration-related discrimination – 2nd offense | $3,885 – $9,639 | $3,901 – $9,753 |
| Immigration-related discrimination – 3rd offense | $5,783 – $19,277 | $5,851 – $19,505 |
| Unfair Documentary practices (document abuse) | $193 – $1,8928 | $195 – $1,951 |
| Prohibition of indemnity bonds | $2,332 | $2,360 |
Previously, effective October 19, 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) increased several immigration-related fines/penalties, after November 2, 2015, as follows (offenses listed with the old and new penalties):
| OFFENSE | PRIOR FINE | NEW FINE |
|---|---|---|
| Substantive Form I-9 violations – minimum | $234 | $237 |
| Substantive Form I-9 violations – maximum | $2,332 | $2,360 |
| Knowingly hiring/employing undocumented – 1st | $583 – $4,667 | $590-$4,722 |
| Knowingly hiring/employing undocumented – 2nd | $4,667-$11,665 | $4,722-$11,803 |
| Knowingly hiring/employing undocumented – 3rd | $6,999-$23,331 | $7,082-$23,607 |
| Document Fraud | $481-$9,639 | $487-$ 9,753 |
If you are concerned about your company’s immigration compliance, I invite you to read The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook, a book that I co-authored with Greg Siskind, available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0997083379.
