|
AGENCY |
Department of Home Affairs |
|
POSITION NUMBER |
Various |
|
POSITION TITLE |
Visa Processing Officer |
|
CLASSIFICATION |
LE3 |
|
SECTION |
Home Affairs |
|
REPORTS TO (TITLE) |
Second Secretary |
About The Department of Home Affairs
The Department of Home Affairs is responsible for central coordination, and strategy and policy leadership in relation to cyber and critical infrastructure resilience and security, immigration, border security and management, counter-terrorism, the protection of Australia’s sovereignty, and citizenship and social cohesion.
Immigration Programs Division delivers the permanent migration and temporary visa programs to maximise the long-term economic and social benefits to Australia across the Skilled, Family and Resident Return visa programs, and through Temporary entry to support tourism, education and international relations.
About the position
Under general direction, Visa Processing Officers are responsible for the assessment and/or finalisation of visa applications. Visa Processing Officers undertake these duties while also completing appropriate verification activities to ensure the integrity of the migration program.
Depending on your position, you may be required to undergo additional security and background checks and undertake specific Child Protection e-learning.
Key responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:
- Undertake visa related casework (assess, investigate, decide) for temporary and/or permanent entry to Australia, applying the relevant legislation and policy to make lawful and fair decisions in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations.
- Apply and interpret relevant legislation, policies and procedures to process visa applications, within service standards in a pressured environment, escalating sensitive and more complex cases to senior staff in accordance with office protocols.
- Investigate the integrity of documents and other information in connection with visa applications and escalate any instances of possible fraud.
- Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders including with local authorities and visa delivery teams to achieve departmental business objectives.
- Prepare moderately complex written documentation for visa applicants, including the preparation of visa decision records and client correspondence.
- Respond to and resolve routine telephone and emails queries and refer complex enquiries and provide information by phone and in writing.
- Organise and take responsibility for own workload, work cooperatively and harmoniously to deliver services to clients in accordance with the client service charter standards and program outcomes.
- Provide general administrative support and back up as required.
Required Qualifications:
- Strong written and oral English and Thai. Skills in regional language (Lao, Burmese, Vietnamese) will be highly regarded.
- A valid IELTS test result (no more than 12 months old) with a minimum score of 6.0 in each band, or an equivalent result from an approved provider. Candidates without a current valid IELTS result or equivalent are still eligible to apply but, if successful, must submit an acceptable test result within their probationary period.
- Demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of clients from a variety of backgrounds and with varying demands. Such situations may include telephone interaction, interviews, liaison and representation, preparing reports and correspondence.
- Ability to respond and adapt to change. Ability to apply initiative, flexibility and willingness to pursue continued improvement in the context of change within the organisation.
- Highly developed time management skills, both individually and as part of a team, and the ability to work effectively, cooperatively and flexibly in a team environment to respond to priorities and meet deadlines.
- Demonstrated analytical skills with an ability to use multiple datasets and/or interpret and apply complex legislation and apply sound judgement in all cases.
Desirable
- Tertiary qualifications in a relevant field.
- Experience in application processing environment.
- Proficiency in computer software applications including Microsoft Word and Excel, and the capacity to learn new systems.