Immigration Judge

**Recruitment Incentive** Recruiting incentives of up to 25% of base pay, will be considered for first time federal employees placed at the following locations:

• New York (Broadway) Immigration Court
• New York (Fed Plaza) Immigration Court
• New York (Varick) Immigration Court
• Los Angeles (West) Immigration Court
• San Francisco Immigration Court
• Chelmsford Immigration Court
• Boston Immigration Court
• Concord Immigration Court
• Santa Ana Immigration Court
• Sacramento Immigration Court

A service agreement will be required for those candidates who are found to be eligible, for a specified amount of time, as directed by the agency.

This position is in the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), Office of the Chief Immigration Judge. EOIR seeks highly qualified individuals to join our team of expert professionals who serve as immigration adjudicators. Immigration Judges work with a team that includes attorneys, legal assistants, and other support staff.

EOIR plays a pivotal role in the administration of the Nation's immigration system. EOIR's mission is to adjudicate immigration cases by fairly, expeditiously, and uniformly interpreting and administering the Nation's immigration laws. Under delegated authority from the Attorney General, EOIR conducts immigration court proceedings, appellate reviews, and other administrative hearings.

EOIR consists of three adjudicatory components: the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, which is responsible for managing the numerous immigration courts located throughout the United States where immigration judges adjudicate individual cases; the Board of Immigration Appeals, which primarily conducts appellate reviews of the immigration judges' decisions; and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, which adjudicates immigration-related employment cases.

Immigration Judges preside over formal, quasi-judicial hearings. Proceedings before Immigration Judges include but are not limited to removal and bond adjudications, and involve issues of removability as well as applications for relief such as asylum, withholding of removal, protection under the Convention Against Torture, cancellation of removal, and adjustment of status.

Immigration Judges make decisions that are final, subject to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. In connection with these proceedings, Immigration Judges exercise certain discretionary powers as provided by law and are required to exercise independent judgment in reaching final decisions. Immigration Judges may be required to conduct hearings in penal institutions and other remote locations.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Employment is contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Security clearance may be required.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• Moving and Relocation Expenses are not authorized.
• Relevant experience (see qualifications below.)
• Qualifications must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• You must file a financial disclosure statement in accordance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Conversion to permanent position is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a probationary period and appointment by the Attorney General.

Qualifications:
In order to qualify for the Immigration Judge position, applicants must meet all of the following minimum qualifications:
Education: Applicants must possess a LL.B., J.D., or LL.M. degree. (Provide the month and year in which you obtained your degree and the name of the College or University from which it was conferred/awarded.)
AND
Licensure: Applicants must be an active member of the bar, duly licensed and authorized to practice law as an attorney under the laws of any state, territory of the U.S., or the District of Columbia. (Provide the month and year in which you obtained your first license and the State from which it was issued.)
AND
Experience: Applicants must possess qualifying post-licensure litigation or adjudication experience. Qualifying trial experience includes experience litigating cases in which a complaint was filed with a court or administrative agency, or a charging document (e.g., indictment, notice of violation, or information) was issued by a court, administrative entity, grand jury, or appropriate military authority. Qualifying experience conducting administrative hearings or adjudicating administrative cases includes relevant experience handling cases in which a formal procedure was initiated by a governmental administrative body.

Note: Qualifying experience is calculated only after bar admission.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your assessment questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Ensure that your resume contains your full name, address, phone number, email address, and employment information. Each position listed on your resume must include: From/To dates of employment (MM/YYYY-MM/YYYY or MM/YYYY to Present); agency/employer name; position title; Federal grade level(s) held, if applicable; hours, if less than full time; and duties performed. In addition, any experience on less than a full time basis must specify the percentage and length of time spent in performance of such duties.

Additional Information:
Additional positions may be filled from this announcement within 90 days of certificate issuance.

In addition to the minimum qualifications above, applicants must submit a Writing Sample, not to exceed ten (10) pages, demonstrating their ability to author legal documents and a document addressing the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) in order to be considered for this position. Failure to submit these documents will result in your application package being removed from consideration. (See "How You Will Be Evaluated" section.)

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to IJ appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in IJ hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must claim their status when completing their application in the online application process and attach supporting documentation. (See "Required Documents" section.)

Conditions of Employment: Only U.S. Citizens or Nationals are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Dual citizens of the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ applicants, both U.S. citizens and non-citizens, whose job location is within the U.S., must meet the residency requirement. For a total of three (not necessarily consecutive years) of the five years immediately prior to applying for a position, the applicant must have: 1) resided in the U.S., 2) worked for the U.S. overseas in a Federal or military capacity; or 3) been a dependent of a Federal or military employee serving oversees.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications will be further evaluated to determine those who are best qualified. This determination will be based, in part, on the following Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs):

• Ability to demonstrate the appropriate temperament to serve as a judge.
• Knowledge of immigration laws and procedures.
• Litigation or adjudication experience, preferably in a high volume judicial or administrative context.
• Experience handling complex legal issues.
• Experience conducting administrative hearings or adjudicating administrative cases.

Applicants are required to address each of the five (5) QRFs in narrative form, to the best of the applicant's ability. A response stating only that the applicant does not have experience will not be considered as addressing the affected QRF. Applicants that do not have experience within a specific factor should instead discuss a similar skill/ability/knowledge/experience for evaluation. Failure to address each factor at this minimum level will result in an ineligible determination. The QRFs must be addressed on a separate document which indicates the number of the specific QRF you are addressing. Applicants should be thorough in addressing the QRFs. For example, applicants addr

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