Immigration Officer - Immigration

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Immigration Officer is a team member position within the Visa Services Branch in MBIE. The Immigration Officer will bring their business understanding and perspective to work in partnership with their manager and other staff.

The Immigration Officer will be responsible for:

• Making quality decisions that manage immigration risk and contribute to positive immigration outcomes for New Zealand.
• Providing specialist immigration advice to clients and stakeholders.
• Using judgement to assess and decide visa applications through the effective administration of immigration policy and procedures, and in accordance with immigration law.

Responsibilities of this position are expected to change over time as the Ministry responds to changing needs.  The incumbent will need the flexibility to adapt and develop as the environment evolves. This includes performing any other reasonable duties as required.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Ability to work effectively without direct supervision.
• Ability to manage and organise fluctuating workloads in a fast paced and ever-changing environment.
• Experience in using information systems and computer technology.
• A positive attitude working with people of different cultures, gender and abilities.
• Consistent decision making skills.
• Effective written and oral communication.
• Ability to develop trust and credibility with managers and staff.
• Understands the role within MBIE and how it contributes to MBIE’s purpose.
• Able to obtain and maintain an Immigration Officer Warrant.
• Must be a NZ citizen or hold a Permanent Residence class visa (if the role is located in New Zealand).
• Must have the legal right to live and work in the country in which this position resides (if the role is located outside of New Zealand).

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Assess and decide visa applications in accordance with immigration policy, procedures and law including:

• Complying with immigration instructions and following the established Standard Operating Procedures.
• Using established interviewing, site visit and assessment techniques to obtain all relevant information to make quality and timely decisions.
• Using judgement to prioritise and make quality recommendations or decisions.
• Seeking advice from relevant staff or managers for quality assurance purposes or where required and in accordance with procedures.
• Communicating with stakeholders in a clear, concise, timely manner.
• Documenting assessment rationale, preparing reports and correspondence.
• Providing regular updates or reports that inform on progress in achieving planned results.

Provide specialist immigration advice including:

Providing accurate and timely advice on all immigration law, policy and procedures to clients and third parties in an effective manner.

Managing client expectations, including:

• Outlining the expected application assessment process and timeframe.
• Keeping the client up to date on the status of their application.
• Recording all client or third party interactions in relevant data bases or tools.
• Identifying, preparing or contributing to responses to information requests under relevant legislation e.g. Privacy Act and Information Act.
• Proactively taking responsibility for keeping up to date with changes including relevant policy, procedures and law.

Risk identification and mitigation: Identify and proactively manage, and-or escalate risks regarding processing of visa applications and decisions including:

• Following the established risk assessment and management processes.
• Escalating risks to relevant senior staff where required and in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures.
• Using risk mitigation, verification processes and profiling tools-systems to manage risk for application assessment and document findings in relevant systems and tools.
• Managing all application related material securely in accordance with the relevant legislation.
• Proactively identifying trends in risks and communicating them with relevant staff or managers.

Quality and Assurance: Provide quality and assurance support as required including:

• Following the established quality management framework.
• Proactively identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and participating in team/office quality initiatives.

Administration Support: Complete administration support functions including:

• Checking and/or distributing information for internal and external stakeholders.
• Providing file management support for physical/electronic files.
• Liaising with customers, third parties and stakeholders to obtain further information or answer queries.

Self- Development:

• Taking responsibility for own professional development, including working with managers, and seeking opportunities to learn and grow.

Wellbeing, health & safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Immigration Officer position reports into an Immigration Manager in the Immigration New Zealand group.

More information about MBIE's structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission