Immigration Assistant - All interested Applicants at U.S. Embassy to Kenya

Duties

• Processes immigration petitions and applications, including giving recommendations on the proper disposition of requests for immigration benefits. Liaises with the public, U.S. and international government agencies, international and non-governmental organizations on a wide range of immigration matters within the jurisdiction of the U.S citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) Nairobi Field Office. Facilitates the operations of USCIS Nairobi through reporting, identity verification, fraud detection, and other support activities.

Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements:

EXPERIENCE:  

• Minimum of five years of experience reviewing, researching, and analyzing petitions and applications for immigration benefits involving complex regulatory framework; and extensive customer service experience is required.

JOB KNOWLEDGE:  

• Knowledge of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and related court decisions, policies, and procedures, as well as knowledge of Kenyan civil and criminal law. Working knowledge of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and its relevant systems. Familiarity with the U.S. Refugee Access Program and its implementing partners.  Strong comprehension of the Foreign Affairs Manual. Familiarity with U.S. Embassy Nairobi’s organizational structures and procedures.

Education Requirements:

Mandatory: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in law, international relations, or political science or business relations is required.

Evaluations:

LANGUAGE: 

• Level IV English (Fluent; reading/speaking/writing) (This may be tested).
• Level III Kiswahili, Somali or Tigrinya (Good working knowledge; speaking/reading/writing) is required.
• Must have excellent oral and written communication skills in English and second language (Kiswahili, Somali or Tigrinya, including strong presentation skills, the ability to persuade and mobile stakeholders, and the ability to prepare professional reports.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with a broad range of individuals, government entities, and organizations.
• Self-motivation and the ability to work independently in an efficient and timely manner.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Ability to work in a cooperative, team oriented manner.
• Ability to monitor and analyze projects in various stages of design and implementation, including developing spreadsheets and reports, to ensure timely achievement of deliverables.
• Ability to analyze the most complex and/or sensitive applications and petitions and to apply a complex body of law to make authoritative recommendations.
• Ability to independently organize and execute work, including numerous conflicting demands.
• Ability to work under extreme pressure to independently organize and execute work effectively and efficiently.
• Ability to use many and varied sources to research applications and petitions.
• Ability to deal directly with the public effectively and courteously.
• Must be extremely detail oriented and have an excellent ability to calculate, review, and assemble numerical data.
• Must exercise tact and good judgement in dealing with the public and government officials and remain objective in emotional and tense situations while effectively explaining the law, policies, and procedures.
• Must be able to draft difficult and sensitive correspondence and reports in clear, precise, and correct English.
• Must be able to comprehend, interpret, and analyze complex legislative changes in U.S. immigration law to provide clear, concise, and authoritative guidance to others, including Department of State employees.
• Ability to exercise a high-level of discretion with respect to confidential or sensitive information.
• Must be proficient in utilizing broad knowledge of computer applications and systems

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO):  The U.S. Mission provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Qualifications:

• All applicants under consideration will be required to pass medical and security certifications.