Immigration policy officer

Immigration policy officers develop strategies for the integration of refugees and asylum seekers, and policies for the transit of people from one nation to another. They aim to improve international cooperation and communication on the subject of immigration, as well as efficiency of immigration and integration procedures.

The following job titles also refer to immigration policy officer:

refugee policy officer
asylum policy officer
government policy manager
immigration policy analyst

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as immigration policy officer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Immigration policy officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to immigration policy officer.

regional development policy officer
economic policy officer
recreation policy officer
employment programme coordinator
foreign affairs officer

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of immigration policy officer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of immigration policy officer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of immigration policy officer.

Asylum systems: The systems which grant refugees who flee persecution or harm in their home nation access to protection in another nation.
Government policy implementation: The procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration.
International commercial transactions rules: Pre-defined commercial terms used in international commercial transactions which stipulate clear tasks, costs and risks associated with the delivery of goods and services.
Immigration law: The regulations to follow to ensure compliance during investigations or advice in immigration cases and file handling.
Social justice: The development and principles of human rights and social justice and the way they should be applied on a case by case basis.

These skills are necessary for the role of immigration policy officer.

Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
Maintain relations with local representatives: Maintain good relations with representatives of the local scientific, economic and civil society.
Liaise with local authorities: Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.
Maintain relationships with government agencies: Establish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.
Promote human rights implementation: Promote the implementation of programs which stipulate agreements, binding or non-binding, concerning human rights in order to further improve efforts to decrease discrimination, violence, unjust imprisonment or other human rights violations. As well as to increase efforts to improve tolerance and peace, and better treatment of human rights cases.
Show intercultural awareness: Show sensibility towards cultural differences by taking actions which facilitate positive interaction between international organisations, between groups or individuals of different cultures, and to promote integration in a community.
Develop immigration policies: Develop strategies for improved efficiency in immigration and asylum procedures, as well as strategies aiming to end irregular migration and establishing sanctions for those facilitating irregular migration.
Analyse irregular migration: Analyse and assess the systems which are involved in organising or facilitating irregular migration in order to develop strategies to end irregular migration and sanction those facilitating it.
Advise on legislative acts: Advise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation.
Build international relations: Build positive communication dynamics with organisations from different countries in order to build a cooperative relationship and optimise information exchange.
Manage government policy implementation: Manage the operations of the implementation of new government policies or changes in existing policies on a national or regional level as well as the staff involved in the implementation procedure.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of immigration policy officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Project management principles: Different elements and phases of project management.
Foreign affairs: The operations of a foreign affairs department in a government or public organisation and its regulations.
International law: The binding rules and regulations in the relations between states and nations, and legal systems dealing with countries rather than private citizens.
Scientific research methodology: The theoretical methodology used in scientific research involving doing background research, constructing an hypothesis, testing it, analysing data and concluding the results.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of immigration policy officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Carry out strategic research: Research long term possibilities for improvements and plan steps to achieve them.
Apply conflict management: Take ownership of the handling of all complaints and disputes showing empathy and understanding to achieve resolution. To be fully aware of all Social Responsibility protocols and procedures, and to be able to deal with a problem gambling situation in a professional manner with maturity and empathy.
Promote inclusion in organisations: Promote diversity and equal treatment of genders, ethnicities and minority groups in organisations in order to prevent discrimination and ensure inclusion and a positive environment.
Work within communities: Establish social projects aimed at community development and active citizen participation.
Observe new developments in foreign countries: Observe political, economic and societal developments in the assigned country, gather and report relevant information to the relevant institution.
Establish collaborative relations: Establish a connection between organisations or individuals which may benefit from communicating with one another in order to facilitate an enduring positive collaborative relationship between both parties.
Enable access to services: Enable access to the different services which may be available to people with precarious legal status such as immigrants and offenders on probation in order to secure their inclusion in a facility or program, and communicate with the service providers to explain the situation and convince them of the advantages of including the individual.
Analyse foreign affairs policies: Analyse the existing policies for the handling of foreign affairs within a government or public organisation in order to evaluate them and search for improvements.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Liaise with politicians: Liaise with officials fulfilling important political and legislative roles in governments in order to ensure productive communication and build relations.
Assess risk factors: Determine the influence of economical, political and cultural risk factors and additional issues.
Analyse goal progress: Analyse the steps which have been taken in order to reach the organisation’s goals in order to assess the progress which has been made, the feasibility of the goals, and to ensure the goals can be met according to deadlines.
Foster dialogue in society: Foster intercultural dialogue in civil society on a variety of controversial topics such as religious and ethical issues.
Advise on foreign affairs policies: Advise governments or other public organisations on the development and implementation of foreign affairs policies.
Analyse community needs: Identify and respond to specific social problems in a community, delineating the extent of the problem and outline the level of resources required to address it and identifying the existing community assets and resources that are available to address the problem.

2422 – Policy administration professionals

 

 

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References

1. Immigration policy officer – ESCO