Job opening: Immigration Services Officer (Recent Graduate)
Salary: $66 134 - 85 971 per year
Published at: Jul 17 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
This position is located in Field Operations Directorate, District 43, Los Angeles County Field Office in Los Angeles, CA.
As an Immigration Services Officer (Recent Graduate), you will adjudicate complex applications and petitions for immigration benefits and provide assistance to other federal agencies in identifying those who pose a national security and public safety threat.
Duties
As a participant in the Pathways Recent Graduates Program, you will receive both formal and on-the-job training to develop the required knowledge and skill to successfully perform the responsibilities of the position.
Grant or deny complex and highly sensitive applications and petitions for immigration benefits based on electronic or paper applications/petitions.
Research, interpret and apply appropriate statutes, regulations, and precedent decisions to make adjudicative decisions.
Interview applicants and petitioners to elicit statements, assess credibility, and analyze information to identify facts that form the basis for a decision concerning eligibility for immigration benefits.
Conduct security checks and provide assistance to federal law enforcement agencies to identify individuals who are ineligible for immigration benefits due to national security, public safety, or other legal grounds.
Use electronic systems to provide verification of any number of established data points to make adjudicative decisions, determine appropriate level of adjudicative review, and update databases with appropriate information and decisions.
Qualifications
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SUPPORTS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIELD OFFICE (LAC) AS PART OF THE DISTRICT 43 DECENTRALIZATION PLAN. THE NEW OFFICE MAY BE RELOCATING TO A NEW LOCATION OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IN THE FUTURE AND THE FIELD OFFICE LOCATION LOCATED WITHIN DISTRICT 43 HAS YET TO BE IDENTIFIED.
The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 07/21/2023.
Time in Grade does not apply to Delegated Examining Announcements, any reference to Time in Grade in the questionnaire will not apply to the rating and ranking of applicants.
GS-09: You qualify at the GS-09 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the following duties:
Examining, evaluating evidence, and analyzing immigration benefits documents received for authenticity;
Researching, analyzing and applying appropriate immigration laws, policies and procedures;
Adjudicating immigration benefits based on reviews of applications in coordination with policies.
OR You may substitute a Master's degree or two full years of graduate education leading to such a degree in any field, or a J.D. or L.L.B. degree for experience required at the GS-09 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours.
Please read the following important information to ensure you submit everything we need to consider your application: It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your responses and appropriate documentation prior to 07/21/2023. Your resume will be used to determine your qualifications for the position advertised in this announcement. Therefore, your resume must highlight your most relevant, significant experience related to the requirements found in the qualification section of this announcement, as well as any applicable education. USCIS will only review the first 5 pages of your resume to determine your initial eligibility/qualifications for a position. As such, please be sure to include content to support your eligibility/qualifications for this position within the first 5 pages. Please note that your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your application will be rated and ranked based on your responses to the online questions.
Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:
Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)
Duties (be specific in describing your duties)
Employer's name and address
Supervisor name and phone number
Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008)
Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position.
Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
Salary
Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide the above information may result in a finding of ineligible.
Note: Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.
Federal Experience: If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history. This information will be further validated if selected for this position.
National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build criteria competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer service. Please provide the dates and amount of time/hours worked earning this experience.
Education
In order to be appointed, you must be enrolled in a qualifying and accredited educational institution pursuing a degree, diploma, or certificate.
A qualifying educational institution is a:
- Public high school whose curriculum has been approved by a state or local governing body.
- Private school that provides secondary education as determined under state law.
- Home-school that is allowed to operate in a state.
- Technical or vocational school.
- Two (2)-year or four (4)-year college or university.
- Graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school).
- Post-secondary home-school curriculum that has been approved by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education is qualifying.
A certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one (1) academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum. Students who take online courses are eligible to participate in the Student Internship Program so long as all other requirements are met and the school is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.
Transcript required: Transcripts or official documentation to verify current or projected enrollment, with an accredited educational institution, must be submitted as part of the complete application package and must be received by the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If education is being used as the only means for qualifying for this position, appropriate transcripts MUST be submitted, in addition to current or projected enrollment documents, in order to support the receipt of the required level of education. Applicants full name and name of educational institution must be clearly identified on documents submitted. If you don't submit a transcript, we will not use your education when deciding if you're qualified for the job.
This is a Recent Graduate position in the Pathways Program. Selected individuals are placed in a dynamic one year developmental program in the excepted service designed to lead to a civil service career in the Federal government. At the successful conclusion of this program, the agency may non-competitively convert individuals to a term or permanent position in the competitive service. Conversion to a Federal competitive service position will be at the discretion of the agency and is neither guaranteed nor implied.
RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY To meet the Program requirements, you must have obtained a qualifying degree to include an Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, OR obtained a Vocational, Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous two years. Preference eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation, begin their two year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years from the date on which the degree or certification was completed.
If you have not yet conferred your degree or certificate, but will within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement, a letter from the school documenting current standing, degree being obtained and expected graduation date must be submitted with your application.
Transcript required: If you don't submit a transcript, we will not use your education when deciding if you're qualified for the job. For verification purposes, the transcript submitted must include your name and educational institution.
Training: If you have not already done so, you will be required to attend and complete a USCIS Officer training course. This is typically provided through a blended approach of virtual instruction followed by in-residence instruction at a training venue. Training must be successfully completed according to the standards of the agency. Failure to do so will be grounds for mandatory removal from the position. Such failure will result in either reassignment to a different position, demotion or separation by appropriate procedures.
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