Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements

Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) is a program managed by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

[5][6] For additional verification (in cases where VIS proves inadequate), SAVE relies on the Person Centric Query System (PCQS).

[2][7][8] Rather, it simply provides an easy way to pull information about the benefit or license applicant from a variety of government databases.

[2][9][10][11] In addition, there is also an option of pure paper-based verification, where the agency directly submits a paper Form G-845, and gets a response within 10 to 20 federal government work days.

However, this option is discouraged since the use of electronic means for Initial Verification saves time and money for all parties involved.

[10][12] The caseworker may then choose the "Initiate Cases" tab, enter relevant information about the applicant whose status needs to be checked, and submit it.

An already-filled electronic form is made available to the caseworker, who needs to print and mail it to the USCIS Immigration Status Verification Unit.

[13] Billing is done by the USCIS's Burlington Financial Center, and methods of payment include credit card and check.

[citation needed] Unlike the case of federal public benefits, states are not mandated to use SAVE to determine eligibility for driver's licenses or identification cards.

[28] SAVE relies on data updated daily through downloads from a number of agencies operating under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

For this reason, the absence of matching records found by SAVE cannot be used to rule out the possibility that somebody is a United States citizen.

[2] Based on a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the DHS and the U.S. Department of State, passport numbers are not included in the information returned to customer agencies using SAVE.

[2][15][39][40] The IRCA restricted access to six federal benefit programs to United States citizens, lawful permanent residents, and permanent residents under color of law (note that the jargon "federal public benefit" would be established much later, with the PRWORA).

The electronic database, known as the Alien Status Verification Index, was initially maintained by Martin Marietta on contract with the INS.

The law was the cornerstone of the Republican Party's Contract with America and fulfilled Clinton's promise to "end welfare as we have come to know it."

PRWORA required the Attorney General to establish regulations and interim guidance for the verification of immigration status of persons applying for federal public benefits, including benefits whose existing statutes did not specifically state that verification of immigration status was required.

The guidance is for any entity administering a non-exempt federal public benefit, other than non-profit charitable organizations, and is not limited to the agencies and programs specified in IRCA or those using SAVE.

IIRIRA also contained provisions that led to the creation of the Basic Pilot Program, that would eventually morph into E-Verify, the analogue of SAVE used by employers.

Of the various federal identification purposes to which these compliance measures were relevant, the one with the largest affected population was commercial air travel in the United States.

However, since most US states have not fully implemented the standards, the date from which only compliant IDs will be accepted has been pushed back to January 22, 2018.

[24] U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement provides guidance to students who encounter problems getting a driver's license or state identification card due to these issues.

[24] A System of Records Notice by DHS, published on December 11, 2008, expanded the use of SAVE to any purpose authorized by law.

[39][44] Until 2008, DHS conducted Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) for the individual systems used in SAVE and E-Verify, specifically the VIS[5] and PCQS.

The review focused only on aliens applying for Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Medicaid, the programs requiring the use of SAVE that HHS was responsible for.

In particular, it noted that whereas SAVE was able to verify the immigration status for the applicant based on the information provided by the applicant, SSA staff were neglecting to actually verify the authenticity of the documents themselves, making it possible to issue a SSN based on fake documentation corresponding to a real but different person.