Immigration Officer

Citizenship and Immigration Services•Irving, TX

11d

About The Position

The Immigration Officer works within USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS), which supports national security and the integrity of the U.S. legal immigration system by aligning immigration benefit adjudication with threat identification, fraud detection and deterrence, and the use of law-enforcement and intelligence information. The officer provides guidance, researches ways to improve policies and procedures, and identifies and pursues suspected immigration benefit fraud, public-safety concerns, and national-security concerns. The role includes administrative investigations and site visits; gathering documents, interviewing individuals, conducting system checks, and determining whether potential administrative or criminal violations exist. The officer coordinates with law-enforcement and intelligence agencies, participates in inter-agency task forces and partner investigations, develops methods and tools for analyzing fraud data, and shares intelligence-related information and training materials. The officer may serve as an expert witness and represent USCIS in related court proceedings. Depending on the grade level, work may be more limited in scope, less independent, and less complex. Officers who have not already completed the required training must attend residential, paid FDNS Officer Basic Training and a six-week residential USCIS Basic Officer training program, and successfully meet agency standards. The position requires operating a motor vehicle and holding a current, valid driver’s license. It is not a law-enforcement covered position and is not considered essential for reporting to work when the facility is otherwise closed.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
Must successfully pass a background investigation, including financial disclosure, and pass drug screening; the position may be subject to random drug testing.
Applicants not currently employed by USCIS must meet the residency requirement: for three of the five years immediately before applying, they must have resided in the United States, worked overseas as a U.S. Government employee in a Federal or Military capacity, or been a dependent of such an employee serving overseas.
Must possess a current, valid driver’s license and operate a motor vehicle.
May be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
Must successfully complete required residential FDNS Officer Basic Training and six-week residential USCIS Basic Officer training if not already completed.
For GS-11, either one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09 performing the specified immigration-program, benefit-determination, evidence-analysis, and fraud-reporting duties, or qualifying doctoral-level graduate education (including a Ph.D. or equivalent, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a related LL.M.).
For GS-12, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-11 applying immigration laws and procedures to identify potential fraud schemes, reviewing immigration-benefit evidence, liaising with law-enforcement or intelligence agencies, and reviewing relevant policies and procedures.
For GS-13, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-12 applying immigration laws and procedures to identify complex fraud schemes and national-security concerns; researching enforcement or anti-fraud programs, directives, or policies; preparing responses about immigration enforcement or anti-fraud actions, programs, or policies; and developing or recommending related procedural or process changes.
Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the lower grade or equivalent grade band to meet the time-in-grade requirement.
A writing sample may be required during selection.
A transcript showing the applicant’s name and educational institution is required for education to be considered.

Responsibilities

Identify, articulate, and pursue suspected immigration benefit fraud, public-safety concerns, and national-security concerns.
Conduct administrative investigations and site visits to obtain documents, conduct interviews, perform system checks, and determine whether potential administrative or criminal violations exist.
Serve as a liaison to law-enforcement and intelligence agencies, and participate in inter-agency task forces and partner-agency investigations to combat fraud and deter and detect national-security and public-safety threats.
Develop anti-fraud tools and methodologies to collect and analyze data, identify fraud trends and patterns, and recommend ways to address vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the immigration system.
Develop, document, and disseminate intelligence-related data and training materials to internal and external partners.
Serve as an expert witness and represent USCIS in related court proceedings.
Research and provide guidance to enhance current policies and procedures.