Immigration officers deal with the control of people entering the country. When choosing a profession as immigration officer there are some advice on training and tips below that will be helpful to begin your career in this area.
What is an immigration officer?
An immigration officer deals with checking documents and visas for entry to a certain country. As an immigration officer you would have to check and monitor people who are arriving or leaving the country. It is the duty if an immigration officer to find out why they are visiting the country and how long they intend to stay.
Duties of an Immigration Officer
- Interviewing passengers for purpose of their visit and the length of their stay
- Check and monitor people arriving and leaving the country
- Immigration officers is required to check landing cards, documents and visas from people arriving in the country
- Examining passport and recognizing forged documents
- Keeping up to date changes in current affairs and legislation
- Applying immigration rules and policy
- Carrying out intelligence based activities and knowledge of national as well as international intelligence
- Undertaking immigration visits to identify people
- Deciding on the entry rights of individual travelers
- Making arrangements for the removal or attempted to enter the country in breach of immigration law
Work Condition of an Immigration officer
Immigration officers are usually stationed at every entry point into the country to regularly check people who are arriving and leaving the country.
- Immigration officers usually work in an office or international airports. May also work overseas, embassies, consulates and higher commission.
- There can be times when the working conditions of an immigration officer can be stressful. It is important to keep a calm attitude and mind set when working with travelers.
- Immigration officers who work in an office have regular office hours. Some may have to work overtime. Immigration officers who worked in an international airport have different shifts to choose from. Shifts include night, weekends and public holidays.
- Minimum 36 hours of work per week is usual for immigration officers
Educational requirements for an immigration officer
According to the Department of Labor the usual educational requirements for immigration officers range from high school diploma, college degree or higher education.
- You must be a citizen and hold a valid security clearance
- Work Authorization and permanent work experience
- Degree in Business, HR or related filed
- Administrative and clerical skills
- Good verbal and written communication skills
- Immigration knowledge
All potential immigration officers require at least a high school diploma; however the field of immigration officer is highly competitive, secondary education is an advantage in applying for immigration officer. Potential immigration officers will undergo training period for several months with salary.
Occupation and progress of an immigration officer
If you pass the exam newly hired immigration officers are trained on the job. There are different career path for immigration officers. They are:
- Level one – Immigration counselor Assistant or ICA, the usual earning will be $35.000 to $38.000 yearly. The basic duties of ICA are answering general calls about immigration issues and preparing evidence and paper work for cases.
- Level 2 – Citizenship and immigration office or CIO, where you have the opportunity to earn from $40.000 to 55.000 yearly.
- Level 3 – Supervising officer
- Level 4 – Regional program specialist