This position is located in Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate, Asylum Division. As a LEGAL ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST, you will interact with asylum applicants face-to-face to elicit and provide valuable information, ensure compliance with background checks, and provide information to appropriate Asylum Officer staff for consideration in adjudication of asylum cases.

Duties

The responsibilities described are for the full performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope performed with less independence, and limited complexity. Perform preliminary review of immigration applications and databases, identifying information relevant to the performance of background and security checks. Assist Asylum Officers in the adjudication of benefit applications, petitions, and removal actions by compiling and evaluating data and preparing case decisions. Review case decision documentation against applicant file to ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and procedures. Interact with applicant, attorney or representative of record to deliver case decision, ensuring understanding of decision or next steps. Conduct face to face interviews with applicants and elicits sufficient information to determine eligibility for immigration benefits and prepare reports on suspected fraudulent intent by applicants.

Requirements

Qualifications

San Francisco Location Only: Employment at the San Francisco Asylum Office provides and exciting opportunity for staff to work in both downtown San Francisco and our newly established Oakland Branch. Both locations are accessible through public transportation, and travel between the two offices is quick and convenient. While staff members will be assigned to the San Francisco duty station, employees may be expected to work out of the Oakland Branch. Newark Location Only: Employment at the Newark Asylum Office provides an exciting opportunity to staff to work in both downtown Newark and our Manhattan Branch. Both locations are accessible through public transportation and travel between the two offices is quick and convenient. While staff members will be assigned to the Newark Branch duty station, employee may be expected to work out of the Manhattan Branch on a rotational, periodic or as needed basis. The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 12/11/2024.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 12/11/2024. GS-05: You qualify at the GS-05 level if you possess three (3) years of general experience, one (1) year of which was equivalent to at least the GS-04 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: Creating or retrieving documents from various sources; Reviewing documents for accuracy; Performing research to provide data. OR You may substitute successful completion of 4 years above high school for the experience required at the GS-05 grade level. This education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester or 45 quarter hours. GS-07: In addition to the requirements at the lower grade level(s), you qualify at the GS-07 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-05 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: Consolidating information from various sources to prepare documents related to immigration applications; Reviewing immigration documents for accuracy; Interacting with the public to gather or explain information. OR You may substitute successful completion of one year of full-time graduate education for the experience required at the GS-7 level. This education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise a year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours. OR You may also substitute superior academic achievement for the experience required at the GS-07 level. You must have completed the requirements for a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average or 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or a class standing in the upper third of a graduating class or major subdivision, or membership in a national scholastic honor society. 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: Gathering or analyzing information from various sources to provide assistance in immigration related case processing; Researching information from various databases to prepare reports related to immigration; Interacting with the public to gather or explain information related to immigration applications. OR You may substitute successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in an accredited college or university, or a J.D. or L.L.B. degree may be substituted for experience at the GS-09 grade level. Such education must demonstrate the skills needed to do the work. A course of study in business administration, public administration, or related fields is qualifying. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 36 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 2 years of full-time study requirement. 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 12/11/2024. 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.

Education

COMBINING QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: If you do not qualify based on experience or education alone, you may be able to qualify based on a combination of your experience and education. For more information on combining education and experience, visit the following website: General Schedule Qualification Standards. 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.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Common definitions for hiring terms found in this announcement.

Contacts

• Address
• Name: HROC Staffing Help Desk
• Phone: 952-697-8380
• Email: [email protected]