Hiring a PI is invasion of her privacy. Would you be willing for her to hire a PI to find your dirty laundry?

Anonymous wrote:
Just to be clear: visa categories that are prohibited to work in the us (tourists) are the ones that do not get SSN. That's the current set up. If their visa category allows them to work legally then they are entitled to a SSN. Conclusion: if someone doesn't have a SSN then you shoudn't be hiring them - they can't work in the US legally.

In general this statement only sort of true (sorry need to be accurate). If you are a non-citizen that is NOT subject to FICA taxes, you have a permission to work in the US, but don't have to have SSN (you can get it if you apply though). Common examples in this town are spouses/dependents of diplomats and other embassy workers. They are authorized to work in the US, but are not subject to FICA taxes, so they don't need SSN to work (while they don't have to pay payroll taxes they have to pay out-of-state tuition rates for their kids to go to the university here, even if they lived in the state for many years, so it is not roses for them either)

To legally hire someone, the employee has to present you documents on the I-9 form. Please note that this form can be filled out without using SSN card as one of the documents. For taxing purposes, there is an ITIN number that can be assigned by IRS to pay taxes.

I had two nannies apply over the years that were on diplomat dependent visas, that's why I had to research this exception. There are quite a few people like this in the area. F)

Anonymous wrote:PP who said that anyone coming to US on a visa can get SSN -- yeah that was true like 15 years ago. Times have changed. Depending on a non-immigrant visa category under which the future nanny entered the country, she might or might not have a right to get an SSN.

Just to be clear: visa categories that are prohibited to work in the us (tourists) are the ones that do not get SSN. That's the current set up. If their visa category allows them to work legally then they are entitled to a SSN. Conclusion: if someone doesn't have a SSN then you shoudn't be hiring them - they can't work in the US legally.

OP here. We found out that she does have a SSN. We also found out that background checks could be run in the home country with extra steps and extra costs regardless if we use the internet background check company we are considering or a PI. But as the last poster pointed out, we decided that wasn't necessary since she had to be screened already to be legal to work in the U.S.

Thanks to everyone for all the information. I hope this discussion provides useful information to others.

PP who said that anyone coming to US on a visa can get SSN -- yeah that was true like 15 years ago. Times have changed. Depending on a non-immigrant visa category under which the future nanny entered the country, she might or might not have a right to get an SSN.

However, for a background check, SSN is used to get your addresses correctly, and verify that whatever folks "match" name is not really the nanny. So it is possible to conduct it without SSN, just different steps and some firms might not offer that option. If you have money to hire a PI, I'm sure they will give you better advice, and get it done right.

OP, you used words "legal resident", which implies that someone has a green card. If she did get a green card, FBI ran pretty good check on her in her country with fingerprints and all, so I wouldn't worry that much about her past in home country ( if FBI did not find anything, chances are private firm will not find much either).

Anonymous wrote:Which country? If you contact the embassy they can get a report from their country. And yes she should have an ssn from something.

Embassies don't do it. It is possible to request a police document confirming no criminal convictions in the home country, but 2 things: the person has to request it for themselves (no third party requests) and it could take several months depending on the country. Local references are your best bet, plus verify that she is legal in the US.

Which country? If you contact the embassy they can get a report from their country. And yes she should have an ssn from something.

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Would you mind sharing who you used for your PI, if you were happy with the service?
Thanks!

Sure. Ed Lott at Commercial Index Bureau. 410-242-8150

Would you mind sharing who you used for your PI, if you were happy with the service?
Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you would feel "invasive" asking someone to go a bit out of their way to engage in an activity to which they consent, but have no qualms about hiring a PI (as your first alternative, no less) to follow a stranger without their knowledge??????
Save yourself the hassle,
DON'T HIRE A NANNY.

A PI isn't like you see in the movies. I used a PI for the background check on our nanny WITH HER KNOWLEDGE AND PERMISSION. Way to jump to conclusions though.

First responder - You are right, I guess I am under the mistaken impression that she wouldn't have a social security number. Thanks for the clarification.

Second responder - I believe that you have the mistaken impression that hiring a PI is like some kind of movie or TV show. Private firms do investigations in the open, without secretly following someone around town like a drama. It's a criminal background check, not spying to catch someone in an affair. The nanny would know about it and I believe even talk to the investigator.

Wait, so you would feel "invasive" asking someone to go a bit out of their way to engage in an activity to which they consent, but have no qualms about hiring a PI (as your first alternative, no less) to follow a stranger without their knowledge??????
Save yourself the hassle,
DON'T HIRE A NANNY.

Anonymous wrote:I've seen several discussions about background checks, but I still feel like I need more information. A few answers from previous discussions offered websites that will do a search for a fee (such as nannyverif.com) but I was wondering a few more things:

Is hiring a private investigator better than an online service, and if so, what PI services do you recommend for conducting a background check?

Can these checks be done without a social security number for someone who can legally work but is not a U.S. citizen? What information is needed?

Has anyone used the company National Crime Search with a legal resident/non-citizen?

I know fingerprinting (e.g., Livescan) is more reliable than other identification, but I also feel like that is a bit intrusive to ask a nanny to go to a center to get her own fingerprinting done, so I was hoping to find a reliable way of doing a check without making the nanny go out of her way to get a fingerprint at another location.

Thanks in advance!

maybe I misunderstood, but your post seems to imply that you believe that a non US citizen does not have a social security. I am a foreigner and I got my social security number when I came to the US over 10 years ago to study one year at a state university, on a one year student VISA (I ended up staying, but it was not anticipated when I arrived and got the social, like all other students). I think anybody who is legally in the US even temporarily, other than as a tourist, get a social security. if somebody lives in the US and does not have a social, I would be suspicious, that she is either here illegally or that she has one and does not want the background done on that social because she has something to hide. I add that I am not an expert on social security numbers, this was simply my experience.

I've seen several discussions about background checks, but I still feel like I need more information. A few answers from previous discussions offered websites that will do a search for a fee (such as nannyverif.com) but I was wondering a few more things:

Is hiring a private investigator better than an online service, and if so, what PI services do you recommend for conducting a background check?

Can these checks be done without a social security number for someone who can legally work but is not a U.S. citizen? What information is needed?

Has anyone used the company National Crime Search with a legal resident/non-citizen?

I know fingerprinting (e.g., Livescan) is more reliable than other identification, but I also feel like that is a bit intrusive to ask a nanny to go to a center to get her own fingerprinting done, so I was hoping to find a reliable way of doing a check without making the nanny go out of her way to get a fingerprint at another location.

Thanks in advance!