We get birth certificates from potential employees as proof of their
US Citizenship and right to work. How do we verify that any birth
certificate is authentic and not counterfeit? Is there an online database
where we can input the various numbers on the certificate to verify its
authenticity? We tried calling the county (in TX) but they were not
helpful.
Thanks |
Request for Question Clarification by
cynthia-ga
on
04 Jun 2006 14:42 PDT
There is no national database, in fact when you look at each
embossed/raised seal, you'll note the name of the "custodian of
record" --who issued the certificate. If you call that [state or
county] agency and ask to verify that the certificate has indeed been
registered and issued by them, they will tell you.
This does mean you'll have to call information and track down the
telephone number.
Logically, if an applicant comes to you with a birth cretificate and
they don't speak english, remember they most likely would have
attended english-speaking public schools if they were born and raised
in the US. Even raised in a non-english-speaking household, it would
be virtually impossible for a child to not have been exposed to enough
english to converse normally. I once lived in an apartment building
where there were many legal and, I assume, illegal immigrants. The US
born children of illegals are US citizens, and they are exposed to
english, and as they grow and age, they become translators for their
parents. Also note that in order to become a US citizen, you must have
a working knowledge of english to become a citizen, and that means
more than smiling and nodding as your children interpret for you.
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Request for Question Clarification by
cynthia-ga
on
04 Jun 2006 14:45 PDT
Forgot this:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&dbname=cp108&sid=cp1081aqa2&refer=&r_n=hr751.108&item=&sel=TOC_410266&
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Clarification of Question by
sachaa-ga
on
04 Jun 2006 15:15 PDT
Cyntia-ga,
We tried calling the county (Harris county in TX,) but they refused to
answers our inquiry unless we were the parent or guardian of the
applicant. The certificate in question looks laser printed on
"certificate paper". Our suspicion is that they took a legitimate
certificate and changed/inserted just a few details.
Is there a way to link the birth certificate to their social security
number and verify citizenship that way? In this part English accents
vary wildly and we don't want to be sued for discrimination.
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Request for Question Clarification by
cynthia-ga
on
04 Jun 2006 23:21 PDT
For Texas, you can request the submitter to have their birth
certificate authenticated by the State of Texas:
Apostilles/Authentication of Documents (3rd paragraph)
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/authinfo.shtml
.."Effective August 2002, this office can now authenticate birth and
death certificates issued by city or local registrars..."
You can't do this yourself, but you can make it a requirement of employment.
I found this here:
Apostille: Authenticating Birth or Death Certificates
http://www.houstontx.gov/health/BirthCert/index.html#Apostille
..."If you are transferred by your employer to a foreign country,
wanting to marry in a foreign country, or if you are adopting a child
born in a foreign country, you may need to present your birth
certificate to an official with the foreign country. If you are taking
a deceased family member to a foreign country, or settling an estate
of a deceased family member in a foreign country, the government
officials with the foreign country will most likely require the death
certificate of the decedent. Depending on the country and the
circumstance, the documents may not be accepted by the foreign
government officials unless they have been authenticated by the
Secretary of State's Office. The 1961 Hague Convention established a
pre-printed form for the purpose of authenticating documents for the
countries that have joined the convention. This form is called an
Apostille. If a document is authenticated with an Apostille, it will
be recognized and will not need further certification as long as the
foreign country requesting the document has joined the Hague
Convention. Since October 15, 1981, the United States has been part of
the Convention..."
The other states likely have a similar authentication service.
Better, but still not the answer you're looking for.
~~Cynthia
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Request for Question Clarification by
cynthia-ga
on
04 Jun 2006 23:34 PDT
Actually, after rereading the inset on the Sec of State page, I think
you can do it yourself. The employee would have to give you an
original certified copy, not a copy, which you could then submit. In
any event, you can call them, explain your situation, and ask them
what you can do. Since they authenticate birth and death certificates,
they will certainly talk you, unlike the county office!
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Clarification of Question by
sachaa-ga
on
07 Jun 2006 08:46 PDT
Cyntia-ga,
When my step son applied for financial aid at the community college
they asked for his birth certificate and the same day he provided it
his grant request was approved. This got me thinking that schools and
colleges have a quick way to verify citizenship for financial aid
purposes. Whatever method schools use to quickly verify citizenship
using a bith certificate would be very useful to employers as well.
That's what I am trying to figure out.
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