This editorial represents business guidance and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult appropriate legal counsel regarding your specific compliance practices.
This is Part 2 in a Series of 2
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is tightening the screws on employers who may harbor illegal workers. Multiple new audits and raids have been announced across the entire country, and fines to employers are escalating. If you are a staffing agency without credible, consistent compliance practices and the right technology to support them, you are now in the regulators’ crosshairs.
As Christophter Ryan, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Avionté, states in his editorial, Staffing is the New Front Line for Immigration Enforcement—Is Your Agency Ready?
“If you operate a staffing agency today – or rely heavily on contingent labor – you are under a regulatory microscope. While the requirements for Form I-9 record-keeping are well understood, they have never been enforced with rigor and consistency across multiple administrations. That is about to change. Going forward, you should expect a zero-tolerance, zero-exception approach to enforcement.”
And it’s not just the pace of enforcement actions that employers need to worry about. Federal agencies, including the IRS, SSA, and DHS, are actively cross-referencing databases to precisely identify unauthorized workers and track them directly to their employer and worksite.
Just ask any agency that’s been through an ICE audit – the penalties for incomplete or missing I-9 forms start at hundreds of dollars per violation and can climb fast when systemic issues are uncovered. Add to that exposure from expired work authorizations, incomplete W-4s, inconsistent onboarding practices across branches, and you’re sitting on a ticking compliance time bomb.
Staffing agencies are in the hot seat when it comes to compliance audits. With high-volume hiring, scattered workforces, tricky jurisdiction rules, and piles of paperwork, the unique risks for agencies add up fast – unless you’ve got technology handling the heavy lifting.
As bad as the risks are, however, compliance is not just about mitigating risk. Many employers are now imposing proof of sound compliance practices as a condition for working with a staffing agency. Compliance practices that are difficult to maintain and scale across multiple locations are a barrier to growth. And a box of paper I-9 records can directly impact the deal terms of a staffing agency undergoing a sale.
In this environment, relying on paper files, manual processes, or cobbled-together systems isn’t just inefficient — it’s a liability, and one that directly limits your agency’s ability to scale with confidence.
Which means it’s time for staffing agencies to ask themselves some tough, non-negotiable questions:
A best-in-class onboarding system isn’t just about collecting forms. It’s about building repeatability, security, and a candidate-friendly experience into your compliance process from day one. Get it right, and you’re not just staying compliant – you’re setting your business up to scale and grow.
Here’s how a purpose-built, integrated solution makes that possible:
Digital onboarding takes the guesswork out of I-9s. It catches missing fields, flags bad data, and makes sure you’re always using the latest form – cutting down the risk of fines from costly mistakes.
When an audit hits, speed matters. An automated system keeps every I-9, W-4, and document organized, searchable, and providing you scale to show what the talent entered – so you can easily collect data/documents to prove compliance without the typical mad scramble to find information.
Many platforms integrate directly with E-Verify, automating submissions and tracking employment authorization status, providing another layer of protection and helping you stay in lockstep with federal requirements.
In high-volume or multi-location staffing, automation keeps you consistent. It standardizes workflows, cuts out human error, and closes the compliance gaps that manual processes leave behind.
Manual processes invite mistakes. Automated onboarding reduces the risk of missed deadlines, lost forms, and data entry errors that could otherwise trigger fines or investigations.
Avionté’s onboarding solution was built for staffing, with compliance locked in from day one. It minimizes duplicate data entry by cascading candidate info across forms automatically – keeping everything clean, secure, and centralized. No clunky downloads, no sketchy uploads, no lost files.
But let’s be clear: great onboarding isn’t just about forms. You need a system that delivers consistency, security, and a repeatable process you can scale. Because in a compliance-heavy world, inconsistency isn’t just a headache – it’s a liability.
Avionté’s automation lets you assign the right forms and documents based on where a candidate works, what they do, and how they’re classified.
It automatically handles state, local, and client-specific requirements – slashing admin time and cutting the risk of expensive mistakes. And in a world where rules can shift by city or county, that kind of scalability isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential for growth.
Compliance isn’t just I-9s and W-4s. Staffing agencies manage background checks, drug screens, E-Verify, tax credits, and a pile of client-specific demands, all of it needs to be fast and audit-ready.
Avionté integrates directly with top industry partners to manage it all inside the platform. Why does that matter? Because disjointed, bolt-on processes leave gaps – and gaps turn into costly mistakes. Embedded partnerships close those gaps, speed up turnarounds, and deliver clean, auditable records — all in one secure system.
Equally important, the entire process is mobile-optimized and candidate-friendly. Candidates can complete onboarding from their phone or tablet in minutes, with guided forms and e-signatures powered by Adobe Sign.
This isn’t just about convenience – a seamless experience drives faster fill times, reduces candidate drop-off, and ensures critical compliance documents are completed before the first day on the job.
The reality is simple: you could be audited or raided by ICE tomorrow morning. It’s an unpleasant prospect, but it shouldn’t terrify you. Avionté’s onboarding solution automates jurisdiction-specific forms and embeds compliance checks at every step, all while keeping your documents centralized, secure, and audit-ready. You will sleep better at night knowing you have a strong compliance posture supported by digital records.
Having a strong onboarding solution is also a great bet for building long-term value in your business. Your agency is better positioned to win new clients, scale your business, and enter new markets while eliminating unnecessary administrative work.
