Immigration Appeals Intake Assistant B121-24

LEGAL AID BC

POSTING

 

TO:                                LABC STAFF (cc: BCGEU)

 

FROM:                           HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

 

POSITION:                     IMMIGRATION APPEALS INTAKE ASSISTANT

 

                                      ONE REGULAR FULL-TIME POSITION – VANCOUVER

 

COMPETITION NO:        B121 - 24

 

DATE POSTED:             February 7, 2025

 

CLOSING DATE:            February 21, 2025

 

STARTING DATE:          April 1, 2025

 

SALARY:                       Job Class 10 ($56,845 to $64,857) *under review*

 

HOURS OF WORK:        35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

This position has the option to participate in a modified work week schedule (37.5 hours/week) Monday to Friday, with the extra hours worked as one earned day off taken once every three-week scheduled cycle.

 

PRIMARY FUNCTION:    To provide legal administrative and administrative support to Managing Lawyer; Supervisor, Immigration Law Services; Staff lawyer(s) and immigration case assessment lawyers; provide and review province-wide applications for immigration appeals; and provide support as needed for related immigration law services for refugees and immigration duty counsel.

 

The following job duties are illustrative examples and shall not be construed as an exhaustive description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the job.

 

VALUES STATEMENT: 

 

Our commitment to the principles of fundamental justice embedded in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and to Truth and Reconciliation, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is ambitious and foundational.  It informs everything we do, as we defend liberty, equality, autonomy, and dignity; as we dismantle colonization, racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia, and all discrimination.  These are our values, and they inform our hiring practices too.  Our business is aiding people in severe legal distress and necessitates internal and external alignment of practicing these values.  Integrating Truth and Reconciliation and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion throughout every aspect of Legal Aid BC is critical to building that culture, and we prioritize ongoing resources to achieve that goal. 

 

DUTIES:

 

1.   PROVIDE LEGAL ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT:

1. Provide legal administrative and administrative support to Managing Lawyer, Supervisor, staff lawyer(s) and appeal contract lawyers;
2. Draft routine correspondence on case files;
3. Maintain bring forward system and limitation diary;
4. Maintain filing system for case files;
5. Open/maintain/close case files and assessment files of staff lawyer(s) and contract lawyers;
6. Maintain/update appeal database for immigration appeals for private bar and staff lawyers;
7. When necessary, file and serve documents within time limitation dates (Federal Court, Refugee Appeal Division, Immigration Division and Immigration Appeal Division Rules);
8. Ensure all department processes and procedures are up to date following changes to the law and/or policy; and
9. Liaise and consult as necessary with staff from other government agencies and community organizations regarding ongoing case files and general procedures.

 

2.   PROVIDE AND REVIEW LEGAL AID APPLICATIONS FOR IMMIGRATION APPEALS:

1. Provide an empathetic, non-judgmental, open-minded and person-centred approach aimed at building trust with clients in order to identify legal issues and urgency, meeting them where they are;
2. Practice active listening, non-violent communication, non-violent crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques in order to achieve communication and information sharing with clients facing barriers to service through a lens of Truth & Reconciliation and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion;
3. Use trauma-informed approach to complete client intake by obtaining client information to complete legal aid application;
4. Interview clients in person and by phone to answer enquiries, analyse and clearly identify client’s legal issue(s), urgency of issue; and provide legal information and relay verified legal advice;
5. Explain LABC coverage and financial eligibility criteria;
6. Identify client’s needs and circumstances and decide on course of action, including completion of intake application and financial eligibility forms, provide legal information, redirect to other LABC or community resources;
7. Review correspondence from private bar lawyers requesting coverage for appeals on behalf of their clients, as well as opinion letters from private bar lawyers;
8. Determine if eligibility criteria can be waived based on current circumstance and past practice, as well as review and provide recommendation to Supervisor in more complex situations or refer complex applications to Supervisor or Managing Lawyer;
9. Seek direction as appropriate from Supervisor, Managing Lawyer, or immigration case assessment lawyers on coverage and eligibility issues;
10. Determine coverage and assess eligibility for legal aid based on legal aid coverage policies and guidelines; obtain direction when necessary; and process referral or appeal according to guidelines;
11. Communicate decisions on legal aid application and provide rationale for decision of legal aid applications that are not approved;
12. Review and respond to immigration applications (both non-appeal and appeal) where a client requests a review of an initial denial of their application, seeking direction from Supervisor, Managing Lawyer or immigration appeals assessment lawyers as appropriate;
13. Respond to all telephone enquiries and requests from lawyers regarding immigration appeal files, immigration duty counsel, and related matters;
14. Respond to enquiries from intake staff and provide guidance on processing immigration appeal and non-appeal applications as appropriate;
15. Monitor and review the fees, disbursements, transcripts and extra fees for appeal cases as directed; and
16. Keep current and be familiar with changes to policies, processes and procedures that affect clients’ coverage and eligibility for legal aid;

 

3. PERFORM OTHER RELATED DUTIES:

1. Provide support as necessary to Appeals Department for areas of law other than immigration and refugee law, and liaise with Appeals staff to coordinate the department’s day to day operations.
2. Support Supervisor in coordination of immigration duty counsel services, including duty counsel scheduling, assigning extra duty counsel when required, and disclosure management.
3. Assist with design and delivery of training on immigration appeal and other immigration processes for LABC staff when requested;
4. Orient casual/new staff/law students on immigration appeal and other immigration processes;
5. Work with court registries and transcription firms to obtain necessary file information and submit and manage transcript orders when necessary;
6. Assist Supervisor and Managing Lawyer to develop/maintain department procedure manual for immigration appeals and other immigration processes;
7. Participate in organizational Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion activities and support related department efforts;
8. Participate in various projects to ensure department needs are met;
9. Respond to enquiries from staff regarding appeals;
10. Review and direct incoming correspondence as necessary; and
11. Perform other related duties as required.

 

QUALIFICATIONS:

 

Basic requirements

• Grade 12 education supplemented by legal administrative course(s)
• Minimum 2 years relevant experience as outlined in rated requirements
• Minimum typing speed 45 wpm
• Advanced skill in MS Word

 

Rated Requirements

• Knowledge of immigration law and procedures
• Knowledge of Federal Court and Immigration and Refugee Board procedures
• Knowledge of legal procedures and terminology
• Knowledge of LABC policies, processes and procedures
• Knowledge of LABC’s Client Information System (CIS)
• Ability to organize workload, identify urgent work items and set priorities
• Ability to cope with a heavy volume of work
• Ability to work independently, take initiative and function as part of a team
• Ability to draft routine correspondence
• Ability to be discreet and manage confidential information
• Ability to deal with distressed, demanding and/or hostile clients
• Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Must have a strong desire to assist disadvantaged clients
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of people including those with low incomes, physical / emotional disabilities, limited literacy, or otherwise disadvantaged
• Ability to practice cultural competency using extensive knowledge of Truth & Reconciliation and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
• Familiarity with Windows environment and MS Word an asset
• Second language and/or demonstrated awareness of the community's cultural diversity an asset

 

This competition may require skills testing based on the qualifications for this position such as: Microsoft 365 (Office Suite) – Word Typing

 

Employment is conditional upon completing and obtaining clearance from the following: Criminal Record Check (CRC) in accordance with the Criminal Records Review Act Security clearance check by BC Corrections including a Canadian Police Information Computer (CPIC) system check

 

We offer (based on your employment status and affiliation):

 

• Four weeks paid vacation to start that grows the longer you are with LABC
• An excellent employee benefits package, where premiums are 100% paid by LABC
• A generous defined benefit pension plan
• Support for training and development
• An Employee and Family Assistance program
• The opportunity to participate in various Employee programs (Employee Wellness, etc.)
• Support for a healthy work/life balance
• Generous leave provisions (sick time, special leaves) 
• 13 paid statutory holidays
• An opportunity for a flexible hybrid work arrangement for some positions (LABC reserves the right to change this policy at any time)
• Transit friendly employer for eligible staff to have their commute subsidized
• Dog-friendly offices 
• Dedicated Cultural Leave provisions for Indigenous employees
• An Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council, and Indigenous employees Council and Accessibility Committee of employees from equity-seeking groups that advises on ongoing improvements and investments in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at our workplace

 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.legalaid.bc.ca

 

We would like to thank all external applicants for their interest but regret that only those shortlisted will be contacted.