US Embassy Nairobi Hiring Immigrant Visa Assistant 

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Immigrant Visa Assistant (Somali) – All Interested Applicants

Overview

Hiring Path:• Open to the public
Who May Apply/Clarification From the Agency:This position is open to:
•  All Interested Applicants/ all sources
•  Current Employees of the Mission
•  Former employees of the Mission who left employment due to a reduction in force within one year from the position opening date.

For USEFM – FP grade is FP-7.  Actual FP salary authorized by Washington D.C.Security Clearance Required:Public Trust – Background InvestigationAppointment TypePermanentMarketing Statement:

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.Summary:

The U.S. Mission in Nairobi is seeking eligible and qualified applicants for the Immigrant Visa Assistant (Somali) in the Consular Section.Supervisory Position:NoRelocation Expenses Reimbursed:NoTravel Required:Not Required

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Duties

Job Overview

The Immigrant Visa (IV) Assistant is responsible for all aspects of processing immigrant visas. This includes in-person intake and customer service to immigrant visa applicants, as well US citizen and foreign clients; collects applicant and petitioner documentation and prepares cases for officers to conduct interview and adjudication; administer the online IV appointment system, communicate with applicants, petitioners, and legal representatives on immigrant visa related issues; data entry into the computerized consular systems; performs quality assurance and printing of authorized visas; flags suspect documents or other fraud indicators for the Consular Officer and Fraud Prevention Unit staff, as appropriate; and maintains physical and electronic records, including sensitive PII, in accordance with Department’s Disposition schedule and Consular Records policies. The job holder is fully cross trained to function in any role as required by visa demand and scheduling.

1. Case Management 50%

• Manages the process of scheduling interviewing, printing, and visa delivery for applicants applying for various IV classes, including rare and complex visas classes.
• Apply knowledge of various visa classes and their exact processing requirements to ensure proper annotations and documentation requirements are met. • Performs thorough screenings of applicant documents for immigrant visa and certain nonimmigrant visa classes and preparing clear and concise summaries of document contents as appropriate.
• Files, tracks, and ensures the delivery of time-sensitive boarding foils and re-entry permits for Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs).
• Supports preparation of complex Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) requests for submission to the Department.
• Monitors receipt of responses from the Department for SAO and waiver requests and preparing passports for further processing.
• Ensures applicants are scheduled for the appropriate day and time and enters preliminary data into schedule for efficient IV processing.
• Ensures applications and other required documents are submitted and completed correctly, and verifies electronic photo is acceptable.
• Ensures birth certificates, marriage certificates, affidavits of support, and other required documents are included in case files when applicable.
• Initiates mandatory namechecks.
• Notify Consular Officers, and the Fraud Prevention Unit staff as appropriate, of relevant information on all cases, noting items that may warrant additional consideration and may become essential for further fraud examination.
• Performs error and quality assurance check on printed visa and case packets.
• Ensure cases have passed all clearances.
• Print approved visas onto controlled, accountable blank visa foil sheets, ensuring there are no errors in biodata or print quality.
• Use the IV automated system, he/she requests appropriate visa numbers (and returns unused numbers), and ensures proper application of quota control system, chargeability, and preference status.

 2. Communication 30%

• Provides specific and complex visa information to visa applicants, U.S. citizen petitioners, and legal representatives by responding to visa inquiries received in person and electronically, while abiding visa confidentiality laws.
• Communicates clearly and courteously with all visa applicants, handling occasionally discussions with irate or upset clients.
• Initiates and maintains contact with the National Visa Center (NVC), Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to gather information about specific cases to solve technical problems and to determine whether applicants with ineligibilities are the recipients of waivers.
• Maintains all public consular information on the Embassy website, telephone recordings, bulletin boards and informational notices.
• Contacts applicants directly to request additional information as needed to facilitate officer adjudication.
• Assisting with interpretation, as needed.

3. Accountability 10%

• Manages and safeguards personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. citizens and visa applicants on a daily basis.
• Shares responsibility with other IV assistants and supervisors when dealing with visa foils. Incumbent is personally accountable for receipt and safeguarding of numbered items.
• Maintains and secures physical and electronic subject matter files and/or chronological files in accordance with Department regulations.
• Separate cases that have terminated, are pending additional documentation, need corrections, and/or are otherwise open in the system.
• Updates and maintains Immigrant Visa Unit documents and forms.
• Destroy documents and case files at specified intervals.

4. Other Duties 10%

The job holder also functions as Consular Cashier as assigned.

This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by incumbent. Incumbent will be required to perform other duties as assigned by the agency.

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Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements:

All selected candidates must be able to obtain and hold a security certificate; or public trust security clearance. 

All selected candidates will be subject to a background investigation and may be subject to a pre-employment medical exam.
Selected candidate must be able to begin working within a reasonable period of time upon receipt of agency authorization and/or clearances/certifications or their candidacy may end.Education Requirements:

• Completion of two years of college or university studies is required.

Evaluations:

You will be evaluated against the qualifications and requirements in this vacancy announcement. 
You may be asked to complete a pre-employment language or skills test.
You must complete the application form and provide the required documents.  Your application must address all the position qualifications and requirements including education, experience, language, and any knowledge/skills/abilities listed.  If you fail to submit a complete application, then your application may be disqualified for this position. Qualifications:

Experience:

• Minimum two years of experience involving the application of regulations and law, extensive public contact, customer service, and/or problem-solving experience is required.

Language: 

• English:    Level 4- Fluent; speaking/ reading/writing, may include the ability to translate.
• Somali:    Level 3- Good working knowledge; speaking/ reading/writing.

Job Knowledge:

• Good understanding of local governmental organizations, immigration law and practices, and cultural and social practices.

Skills And Abilities:

• Intermediate knowledge of MS Word, and Outlook and basic knowledge of MS Excel and Power Point are required. Must be able to perform work with accuracy at a quick, rapid pace. Must be able to deal effectively with the public, exercising tact, and be able to work under continuous pressure and time constraints. Must demonstrate attention to detail, ability to work effectively as a member of a team as well as independently with minimal supervision, and strong interpersonal skills. Must have good skills for drafting written correspondence in both English and local language. Must be able to apply good judgment in evaluating evidence, protecting sensitive information, and applying regulations correctly.

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Benefits and Other Info

Benefits:Agency Benefits:

The U.S. Mission offers a competitive compensation and benefits package for local employees. For Eligible Family Member (EFM) applicants, benefits should be discussed with the HR Office. The pay plan is assigned by the HR Office and confirmed by Washington, D.C.Other Information:

HIRING PREFERENCE SELECTION PROCESS:  

A hiring preference is extended to eligible and qualified applicants in the order listed below.  It is essential you accurately describe your status in your application, failure to do so may result in a determination that you are not eligible for a hiring preference. 

HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER 

1. Appointment Eligible Family Member (AEFM) / U.S. citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM) who is a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran* 
2. AEFM / USEFM 
3. Foreign Service (FS) on Leave without Pay (LWOP) and Civil Service (CS) with reemployment rights ** 

* IMPORTANT:  US citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM) applicants who claim status as a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran must submit a copy of their most recent DD-214 (“Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty”) preferably Member Copy 4, Letter from Veterans’ Affairs which indicates the present existence of a service-connected disability, equivalent documentation, or certification.  A “certification” is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service.  Acceptable documentation must be submitted in order for the preference to be given.  

** This level of preference applies to all FS employees on LWOP and CS with re-employment rights back to their agency or bureau. 

For complete definitions of AEFM, USEFM, EFM, Member of Household, etc., please visit the 3 FAM 7210 Definitions.    

ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS

The following apply to EFMs, USEFMs, and AEFMs only:    

• Current employees who used a hiring preference to gain employment who are within their first 90 calendar days of employment are not eligible. This does not apply when the hiring mechanism is TEMP or the work schedule is intermittent or irregular.    
• Candidates with a hiring preference who have already accepted a conditional offer of employment may NOT be extended a second conditional offer of employment unless and until they withdraw their candidacy for the first position in writing. 

The following apply to Locally Employed (LE) staff only:   

• Current employees serving a probationary period are not eligible. 
• Current employees with an Overall Summary Rating of Needs Improvement, Unsatisfactory, or an MBC score of less than 100 points on their most recent Employee Performance Report are not eligible.  

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How to Apply

How to Apply:

Click the “Apply to This Vacancy” button at the top of the page to begin your application.  For an instructional video on how to apply click here. 

Please address all relevant experience, education, language skills (including English), and job related skills or requirements in your application.

You may edit your application any time before the vacancy closing date. If you fail to submit a complete application by the vacancy closing date of this vacancy, then your application may be disqualified for this position.

To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the HR Office.
Required Documents:

All Applicants:

• Residency Permit (if applicable)
• Work Permit (if applicable)
• University Degree (if applicable)
• University Transcript (if applicable)
• Certificate (if applicable)
• Professional License (if applicable)
• Resume/CV (if applicable)

In addition, Eligible Family Member (EFM) Applicants must submit:

• Copy of Sponsor’s Travel Orders/Assignment Notification (or equivalent)
• Passport copy
• DD-214 – Member Copy 4, Letter from Veterans’ Affairs, or other supporting documentation (if applicable)
• SF-50 (if applicable)

Next Steps:

The HR Office will contact successful applicants.  For more information on applying for jobs or employment with us, please visit the U.S. Mission website.

Thank you for your application and your interest in working with us.