U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service officials expect a significant upsurge in use of Self Check a free, online service that lets workers check their own employment eligibility status.

The tool was launched last March in a limited number of states and expanded to all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Feb. 9.

Since then, it has been used by nearly 70,000 workers to access federal employment eligibility records, said USCIS director Alejandro Mayorkas. USCIS officials expect the number to grow quickly.

“We anticipate that participation will dramatically increase with the service now available to individuals across the country,” Mayorkas said.

As of last August, Self Check was offered in English and Spanish to help workers “who are more comfortable reading Spanish-language materials,” USCIS officials say.

Self Check is a component of E-Verify, a Homeland Security Department Web application administered by USCIS with the Social Security Administration. Employers use E-Verify to confirm the employment status of new employees.

Self Check technology allows workers use information that employers enter into E-Verify and review it against the databases that E-Verify checks. It also contains guidance for workers on how to correct or resolve potential discrepancies or errors in their employment records before they go through the hiring process. USCIS officials say that Self Check benefits employers by giving workers the opportunity to ensure their employment authorization records are accurate before they apply for a job.

Self Check also helps job seekers in states that mandate E-Verify use. Individuals can vet the same data through Self Check to gain the “peace of mind” that their government records are accurate and up to date prior to checks by prospective employers.

USCIS officials said a common misperception since launch has been that Self Check is only for noncitizens and immigrants. In fact, Self Check is citizen service designed for anyone in the U.S. workforce over the age of 16 “because it provides transparency into your government into your government employment eligibility records,” according to the web site.