With an increased rate of immigration being witnessed in developed nations such as the United States of America, immigration work has become a viable career choice for many aspiring candidates. A large number of immigration work based jobs are available and they could be law enforcement, legal work or clerical in nature. Immigration attorneys are the people who are responsible for handling the documentation and legal formalities of immigrants.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is an important agency of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for the immigration related jobs available in the US. Job positions such as deportation officer, immigration enforcement agent, special agents and border patrol agents are some of the immigration related titles that come under the ICE.
Responsibilities
This is a sensitive type of work, thus any person handling immigration work should be extremely careful about protecting the privacy details that are related to their job functions. Those who work in a clerical position have to process legal and other immigration related documents for the immigrants. Customs enforcement officers are concerned with the illegal activities that a person may have committed before immigration. In some cases, they also prevent criminals and terrorists from entering the country by using the immigration channel. They collect and utilize intelligence data for these purposes.
Immigration lawyers have to be well versed with the updated immigration laws and represent the immigrants or an organization, which is hiring immigrant workers. They may also have to perform background checks on the client's past history and assist them with visa and other immigration documents related work. In some cases where the requirements are not met, immigration lawyers may need to hand out deportation instructions to the immigrants. Border patrol agents are trained personnel who inspect the borders of the nation for any illegal activities or immediate threats and act upon it with force.
Skills
An immigration worker needs to have extensive knowledge about the working of the immigration system and the latest laws that are associated with it. Immigration officers should possess excellent written and oral communication skills as a large part of their work consists of handling paperwork and interviewing potential immigrants. They should also possess good research skills as they may have to conduct background checks on the applicants. Those working in clerical jobs should be good at working with large documents, which play a major role in their day to day work activities. Immigration attorneys have to possess excellent qualities of an attorney and should have extensive knowledge about the various legal processes associated with immigration.
Requirements
The educational qualifications for immigration work depend on the exact job position that a person is carrying out. For instance, an immigration lawyer has to possess a bachelor's degree in law science in order to work as one. Basic high school education is required for any job in this sector. Promotion is handed out across various job positions on the basis of experience and performance. Thorough understanding about the legal requirements and working of the immigration system is essential for any immigrant work professional.
Work Environment
Immigrant workers such as immigrant officers, lawyers and desk clerks mainly work in an office based environment and may work for over 40 hours in a week. Other job positions in this line of work such as special agents and border patrol agents have a field based work and may occasionally have to carry out office based work too. Those who work in the field may have to endure long hours of being out in extreme weather conditions and border patrol agents may also have to indulge in combat with terrorists and criminals.
Earnings and Benefits
Salaries differ greatly across the various positions in this industry. However, being federal employees, they enjoy a number of benefits and perks such as federal holidays, paid leaves, pension plans, health insurance plans, etc.
This is a great field for those who are looking to chalk out a career in immigration work. Being a federal job, it comes with several benefits but may also have some risks along with it.