In Processing Caseworker

Ref No: TU-IST-16-RE-07

Company / Job Description

The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) is an internationally operating non-governmental organization serving and protecting uprooted people, regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, or nationality.

For three decades, ICMC has partnered with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to conduct refugee resettlement. Currently ICMC operates under a cooperative agreement with the Department of State (DOS), as a Resettlement Support Centre (RSC) to prepare eligible refugee applications for consideration for resettlement in Turkey and Middle East (TuME). As part of this service we work with several thousands of refugees and their families each year and take them through each stage of processing that is required for resettlement to the U.S.A. ICMC also has a sub-office in Beirut, Lebanon. The caseload includes a variety of different nationalities, including Iraqis, Iranians, Syrians and Afghans.

UNHCR identifies and refers refugees for the resettlement program and members of the in processing team are responsible for taking refugee statements, their biometric data and the preparation of the refugee case files for adjudication by Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) officers. 

Job Purpose

The Caseworker is primarily responsible for conducting personal interviews with refugees and their dependants and to record their persecution claims, biographic information and relevant documentation in order to complete a refugee case history.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• To conduct personal interviews with refugee applicants and their families and to record biographical information and claims for each refugee applicant;
• To ensure that all information and additional documentation is added to the file and compiled in the format that complies with the standard operating protocols (SOP).
• To comply with the data and information security standards while collecting sensitive personal information;
• To coordinate with Out-Processing and Clerical units and ensure that the operational needs of the refugee processing program are met and high standards of casework are maintained;
• To establish and maintain good working relationships with key outreach contacts and ‘processing partners’, including UNHCR, IOM, RPC, ICMC TDY personnel;
• To oversee and contribute to the scheduling, tracking, and coordination of pre-screening interviews, when needed;
• To perform additional tasks related to refugee processing and casework, on behalf of refugee applicants and other office functions outside of daily tasks;
• To take an active part in staff professional development and contribute to the overall goals of the Program;
• To travel in the country and the region to carry out in-processing activities, depending on operational needs and at management discretion;
• To perform tasks assigned by the Supervisors and the Head of Resettlement.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Commitment to uphold ICMC’s values of fairness, equality and respect of human dignity;
• Commitment to safeguard refugee interests and to prevent any real or perceived abuse of trust and conflict of interest;
• University degree in Social Sciences or a related field;
• Fluency in spoken and written English;
• Proven inter-personal skills in relating to colleagues, interpreters and refugees with patience and compassion;
• Previous experience working in a multi-cultural environment;
• Demonstrated interest in human rights issues;
• Willingness and ability to travel within the country and the region depending on operational needs and at management discretion;
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team;
• Ability to work with stressful cases sometimes for long hours and record the information;
• Ability to concentrate and pay attention to detail to identify gaps and inconsistencies in refugee stories;
• Knowledge of MS Office applications and typing skills;
• Written and verbal communication skills in English. Knowledge of Arabic and /or Farsi is an advantage;
• Previous NGO experience is an advantage

HOW TO APPLY?

If you are interested in this vacancy, please send your up-to-date CV via email to cv.rsctume@icmc.net together with a covering letter explaining why you think you would be suited to this post.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 19th August 2016. Please include the reference number and applicant’s full name in the email subject line.

Please note that applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Applications will be treated in strict confidence and applicants should be available to start as soon as possible.