Communication and Outreach Study

ATTACHMENT A:

FOCUS GROUP SCREENER FOR
CURRENT AND INACTIVE USERS

COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH SCREENER FOR E-VERIFY USERS

FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS

Revised April 2, 2013

SECTION A. [INITIAL CONTACT]

Hello, my name is ___________ and I’m calling from Westat on behalf of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). I am calling regarding the E-Verify work eligibility program.

QA1. May I speak with (INSERT NAME OF CONTACT)?

YES……………….….......1 (SKIP TO INTRODUCTION SECTION C)

NOT AVAILABLE……….2 (IF CONTACT IS NOT AVAILABLE, REQUEST A CALL BACK TIME. RECORD TIME ON CALL RECORD. END.)

NEED NEW CONTACT..3 (IF CONTACT IS NO LONGER THE APPROPRIATE PERSON, GO TO QUESTION QB1.)

SECTION B. [IF CONTACT IS NOT THE CORRECT RESPONDENT]

QB1. Who is the person most knowledgeable about your company’s decision to participate in the E-Verify Program?

NAME: ______________________________________________________

[IF ASKED WHY, EXPLAIN BRIEFLY THAT WESTAT IS CONDUCTING A STUDY FOR USCIS ON THE COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH FOR THE E-VERIFY PROGRAM AND THIS PERSON WOULD PROBABLY BE THE BEST PERSON TO SPEAK TO.]

QB2. And what is that person’s phone number?

PHONE NUMBER: (_________) __________ - __________________

QB3. May I speak with (INSERT NAME OF NEW CONTACT)?

YES……………….….......1 (GO TO QUESTION QC1)

NOT AVAILABLE……….2 (IF CONTACT IS NOT AVAILABLE, REQUEST A CALL BACK TIME. RECORD TIME ON CALL RECORD. END.)

SECTION C. [SPEAKING TO CONTACT PERSON]

INTRODUCTION

[IF NEEDED: Hello, my name is _____________ and I’m calling from Westat on behalf of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).] A few days ago, you should have received an email from Westat with an attached letter from USCIS authorizing us to conduct a study on the communication and outreach for the E-Verify Program.

[IF EMAIL NOT RECEIVED, SAY WE WILL RESEND IT (CONFIRM EMAIL ADDRESS) AND CONTINUE RECRUITING, IF POSSIBLE. IF UNWILLING TO LET YOU CONTINUE WITHOUT EMAIL, SAY YOU WILL SEND IT AND THEN CALL BACK AFTER IT HAS BEEN SENT.]

This study of the communication methods used to inform and educate employers about the E-Verify Program will help USCIS improve its communication and outreach activities. For this part of the study, we are conducting online focus groups with a variety of types of employers that are E-Verify users.

QC1. You have been identified as the person at your company who is familiar with your company’s use of the E-Verify Program. Are you also the person who is most knowledgeable about your company’s decision to enroll in E-Verify?

YES…………1 (CONTINUE with QC2)

NO…………..2 (SAY: We are really looking to speak with that person. Could

you give me that person’s name and phone number?

NAME_____________________ PHONE_______________

Thank you for taking time to talk with me and providing us with this

information. We will contact [NEW CONTACT]. END

QC2. What is your position in the company?

_____________________________

POSITION

If your company is eligible, we would like to invite you to participate in one of our focus groups.

QC3. Do you have a few minutes for me to ask you a few questions to determine if your company is eligible for a focus group?

YES………….1 (INACTIVES, GO TO QC4) (ACTIVE USERS, SKIP TO QC6)

NO.................2 When would be a good time to call you back? Thank you. I will

get back to you on [DAY] at [TIME].

QC4. [INACTIVES ONLY] According to the E-Verify database, you are enrolled in the Program but have not submitted any cases in the past year. Is this correct?

YES……..1 (GO TO QC5)

NO ……..2 (SKIP TO QC6) [LIST IF ANY EXPLANATION GIVEN]

QC5. Why haven’t you submitted any cases?

[IF RESPONDENT SAYS IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE HAD NO NEW HIRES] We are not including companies with no new hires in the study at this time. Thank you for taking time to talk to us. END

[FOR ALL OTHER ANSWERS, INCLUDING “DON’T KNOW,” LIST ANSWERS BELOW AND CONTINUE WITH QC6.]

QC6. Is your company a federal contractor?

YES………..1 (We are not including federal contractors in the study at

this time. Thank you for taking time to talk to us.) END

NO…….…..2 (CONTINUE)

QC7. Is your company required to participate in E-Verify by either state or

local law?

YES………..1 (CLASSIFIED AS MANDATED) (We are not including companies that are required to participate in E-Verify in the study at this time. Thank you for taking time to talk to us.) END

NO…….…..2 (CLASSIFIED AS NONMANDATED)

QC8. Is your company an E-Verify Employer Agent; that is, does your company provide E-Verify services to other companies for a fee?

YES ……….........1 (This study is only for companies that are not
E-Verify Employer Agents. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.) END

NO, NOT EEA....2 (CONTINUE WITH QC9)

QC9. Does your company use an Employer Agent; that is, another company that provides E-Verify and possibly other services for a fee?

YES………….....1 (CONTINUE) (CLASSIFIED AS UEEA)

NO…………........2 (CONTINUE)

DON’T KNOW....3 (CONTINUE)

QC10. Approximately how many employees does your company currently have?

_____________

# OF EMPLOYEES

QC11. Approximately how many employees does your company typically hire in a year?

_____________

# OF EMPLOYEES

QC12. In what industry is your company?

___________________

INDUSTRY

QC13. Is your company a permanent placement or recruiting firm; that is, does your company refer job candidates for permanent placement to employers that may hire and pay them?

YES………..1 (CONTINUE) (CLASSIFIED AS EMPLOYMENT AGENCY)

NO…….…. .2 (CONTINUE)

QC14. Is your company a temporary staffing agency; that is, does your company

provide workers on your own payroll to work at your clients’ sites?

YES………..1 (CONTINUE) (CLASSIFIED AS TEMPORARY STAFFING)

NO…….…...2 (CONTINUE)

Thank you for taking time to answer our questions. Your company is eligible to participate in a focus group comprised of 6 to 9 companies. The online focus group should take about 45 minutes. We are offering a $35 incentive to participants as a thank you for your help. Your participation in the focus group and the information we collect will be kept private in that we will not identify you or your company by name. The report will summarize responses from various employers.

QC15. Would you be willing to participate in a focus group?

YES………..1 (CONTINUE)

NO…….…...2 Thank you for your time.

SECTION D. [SCHEDULING THE INTERVIEW]

SEE FOCUS GROUP DATE SCHEDULE – SCHEDULE PARTICIPANT ACCORDING TO CLASSIFICATION. ALL ONLINE FOCUS GROUPS WILL START AT 2:00 PM EASTERN TIME.

The focus group available for your type of company will be held on

___________________[DATE] at 2:00 pm Eastern time, ____[TIME] in your time zone.

QD1. Are you available on this day and time?

YES………..1 (CONTINUE WITH QD2)

NO…….…...2 (PROVIDE YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND E-MAIL ADDRESS AND ASK THE CONTACT PERSON TO CONTACT YOU IF THEY BECOME AVAILABLE ON THAT DAY AND TIME. THANK THEM AND END.]

QD2. Thank you very much for agreeing to participate.

I have scheduled you for the focus group at:

____________ ______________ _________________ ________________

DAY DATE RESPONDENT TIME WESTAT TIME

Can I have your email so we can send you the confirmation with instructions on how to join the online focus group? [OR, IF YOU ALREADY HAVE EMAIL] Let me confirm your email so we can send you a confirmation with instructions on how to join the online focus group.

__________________________________

EMAIL

Also, can I have the address where you would like us to mail your check after the interview?

Street address Suite (unit #) City/State/ Zip

Lastly, if we need to contact you, what is the best phone number to use?

________________________________

PHONE NUMBER

Thank you again for participating in a focus group. Goodbye.