Job opening: Appeals Officer
Salary: $132 368 - 172 075 per year
Published at: Sep 29 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
This position is located in Office of Administrative Appeals, Humanitarian Benefits Division and/or Employment Benefits Division.
As an Appeals Officer, you will conduct a thorough review and write detailed decisions for immigration case appeals and orders issued by USCIS District and Service Center Directors.
Duties
Conducts legal research to write detailed decisions on appeals and motions submitted to the AAO by parties whose requests for benefits under Federal immigration and nationality laws have been denied by the field offices, service centers, or the AAO.
Researches and writes decisions on case certified by field offices and service centers to the AAO because the cases involve unusually complex or novel issues of
law or fact.
Conducts a thorough, de novo review and analysis of the record of proceedings and any additional evidence and legal briefs submitted on appeal or motion.
Writes clear and concise decisions, summarizes the procedural history of the case, cites the applicable statues and regulations, applies binding and persuasive law and USCIS policy to the facts, and comes to a final conclusion regarding eligibility.
Assists attorneys representing USCIS in Federal court litigation, including assembling the certified record and providing subject matter expertise on the legal issues and evidence presented.
Supports the adjudication process through quality assurance, mentoring junior officers, and providing training support. USCIS field offices and Service Centers nationwide use AAO decisions for training purposes.
Qualifications
The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 10/10/2023.
Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The Time-in-Grade requirement must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 10/10/2023.
GS-14: You qualify at the GS-14 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-13 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:
Writing briefs in support of applications and petitions for immigration benefits;
Writing briefs in support of appeals from denials of immigration benefits (e.g., as an attorney or paralegal in an immigration law practice);
Writing appellate decisions (e.g., at the Board of Immigration Appeals); or Writing briefs or motions relating to immigration litigation (e.g., in the Office of the Chief Counsel, USCIS, at the Office of Immigration Litigation, or in the Civil Division within the Department of Justice) that involved novel and complex issues and spanned the full range of immigration benefit applications.
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 10/10/2023. 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
EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION: There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
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