Member, Refugee Protection Division - Inventory

Important messages

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

Only on-line applications will be accepted in order to take advantage of the many benefits of using the electronic recruitment system. Some of the benefits for applicants include the ability to:

- modify your application/resume at any time,
- complete screening questions which will highlight your qualifications to the hiring manager, and
- verify the status of your application and notification(s), at any time

Persons who are unable to apply on-line must contact the Human Resources Advisor listed below.

In order to be considered for the next round of assessments, candidates are encouraged to submit their application online by April 22, 2018 - 23:59, Pacific Time.

Duties

The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) is one of four divisions within Canada's largest independent administrative tribunal, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Members of the RPD are hired as public servants within the larger public service and enjoy the same terms and conditions of work. However, they are independent decision makers at an independent administrative tribunal operating at arm's length from government. For further information on the IRB, please visit the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

The RPD Member is responsible for determining whether refugee protection claims made in Canada will be accepted or rejected under the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and its regulations. Members must render decisions orally at a hearing unless it is not practicable to do so.

The RPD Member's responsibilities involve listening, gathering, analyzing, incorporating and summarizing complex original facts to determine the nature of each case; identifying and interpreting jurisprudence and relevant Canadian, foreign and international law; listening to complex legal arguments presented by parties or by self-represented claimants.

The RPD Member prepares, organizes and plans hearings and pre-hearing conferences; conducts the review and in-depth analysis of files, analyzes the nature of the issues, verifies the relevant facts, identifies and clarifies the need for additional related information of interest, and takes appropriate action and makes decisions on refugee claims. Occasionally, the RPD Member acts as a mentor to new RPD Members, to teach them the basics of their work and ensure that they acquire the necessary knowledge through the use of various techniques.

The RPD Member also participates in regular meetings of RPD Members, RPD professional development sessions and in the work of committees set up to improve the procedural or substantive performance of the RPD. The RPD Member provides advice and feedback on policy initiatives proposed by the management of the RPD and the Board.

Work environment

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is Canada's largest independent administrative tribunal. It is responsible for making well-reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law. The IRB decides, among other responsibilities, who needs refugee protection among the thousands of claimants who come to Canada annually. The RPD is a high volume tribunal and members are expected to carry a fairly heavy workload.

Intent of the process

This inventory may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to staff similar or identical positions with various security requirements, various tenures (indeterminate, specified period, deployment, acting, casual employment, part-time worker, assignment and secondment) and with various linguistic profiles.

The Immigration Division, which conducts detention reviews and admissibility hearings, intends to use this pool to staff member positions when such positions become available.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Candidates must meet one (1) of the following combination of education and experience qualifications. If a candidate meets more than one of the experience qualifications it may be considered an asset. Candidates must demonstrate how they meet each experience qualification in their application.

Option 1: A baccalaureate or higher level degree from a recognized post-secondary institution (see note 1) AND One (1) year experience as a decision maker presiding over hearings and rendering decisions at an administrative tribunal

OR

Option 2: A secondary school diploma (see note 1) and five (5) years of significant experience (see note 2) as a decision maker presiding over hearings and rendering decisions at an administrative tribunal in the last ten (10) years.

OR

Option 3: A baccalaureate or higher level degree from a recognized post-secondary institution (see note 1) AND Three (3) years of significant (see note 2) experience obtained in the past ten (10) years rendering decisions on refugee status determination (see note 3)

OR

Option 4: A baccalaureate or higher level degree from a recognized post-secondary institution (see note 1) AND Three (3) years of significant (see note 2) experience obtained in the past ten (10) in presenting cases orally before an administrative tribunal or court of law (see note 4)

OR

Option 5: A bachelor of law degree from a recognized post-secondary institution (see notes 1 and 5) AND Two (2) years of significant (see note 2) experience obtained in the past ten (10) in presenting cases in a refugee law context before an administrative tribunal or court of law (see note 4)

Notes:

Note 1: Candidates with foreign education credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information by following the link below:

http://www.cicic.ca/indexe.stm

Note 2: Significant experience will be assessed based on the extent, the recentness, the complexity, and diversity of the work to be performed in addition to the level of direct responsibility for a variety of complex files and/or projects.

Note 3: Refugee status determination is defined, for the purpose of this selection process as a situation where decisions were based on the principles set out in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.

Note 4: Presenting cases is defined, for the purpose of this selection process, as a situation where an individual is required to present cases before an administrative tribunal or court of law which includes the filing of evidence or documentation and the examination or cross examination of witnesses.

Note 5: For the purposes of this selection process, a bachelor of law degree means LL.B. / J.D. / LL.L. / B.C.L.

Degree equivalency

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

A bachelor of law degree from a recognized post-secondary institution (see note 5 and 6)

A specialization in refugee studies from a recognized post-secondary institution (see note 6)

A specialization in migration studies from a recognized post-secondary institution (see note 6)

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

At least one (1) year experience as a decision maker presiding over hearings and rendering decisions at an administrative tribunal

At least one (1) year experience as a decision maker presiding over hearings and rendering ORAL decisions at an administrative tribunal

At least one (1) year experience rendering decisions on refugee status determination (see note 7) or human rights matters (see note 9)

At least one (1) year experience in presenting cases ORALLY before an administrative tribunal or court of law (see note 8)

At least one (1) year experience in presenting cases orally before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (See note 8)

Note 5: For the purposes of this selection process, a bachelor of law degree means LL.B. / J.D. / LL.L. / B.C.L.

Note 6: Candidates with foreign education credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at: http://www.cicic.ca/indexe.stm

Note 7: Refugee status determination is defined, for the purpose of this selection process as a situation where decisions were based on the principles set out in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.

Note 8: Presenting cases is defined, for the purpose of this asset criteria, as a situation where an individual is required to present cases orally before an administrative tribunal or court of law which includes the tabling of evidence or documentation; the examination or cross examination of witnesses.

Note 9: Human rights matters is defined, for the purpose of this selection process as matters related to such things as discrimination or the fundamental rights inherent to human beings, as described in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or Canadian human rights legislation.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

Various language requirements
English Essential (Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary positions)
Bilingual Imperative CCC/CCC (all locations)

Information on language requirements

Second Language Writing Skills Self-Assessment
In order to help you decide if you should apply to a bilingual position, an optional self-assessment of your writing skills in your second official language is available for you to take before completing your application.

For more information, please consult:
Unsupervised Internet Test of Second Language Writing Skills

KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge and understanding of the Principles of Natural Justice

COMPETENCIES

Commitment to learning
Effective Interactive Communication (oral and written)*
Cross Cultural Sensitivity
Decision making
Information Seeking
Judgment / Reasoning Skills
Results Orientation
Self-Control
Values and Ethics

*Separate pass-marks will be established for oral and written communication

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

The IRB would like its workforce to be reflective of the population it serves. As a result, preference may be given to candidates who are members of an Employment Equity group: Aboriginal persons, visible minorities, persons with disabilities. Therefore, we encourage candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a member of one of these groups.

Placement of IRB employees affected by Workforce Adjustment (WFA):

In order to ensure placement of IRB employees affected by Workforce Adjustment (WFA), we are asking all affected employees who are interested in this position to apply. Since a pool of qualified candidates will be established from this process, we will proceed with the assessment of all candidates. However, should affected employees qualify; they will be appointed prior to other qualified candidates.

It is important to note that if an employee is no longer affected by WFA at the time of appointment, he cannot be appointed ahead of other affected qualified candidates.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Willingness and ability to travel across Canada

Willingness and ability to work overtime

The successful candidates for each position must be willing to relocate to the respective city of appointment (Montreal, Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver).

Individuals who are appointed are required to swear the oath or give the solemn affirmation of office set out in the rules of the Board before their first hearing as per Section 152.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Other information

GENERAL INFORMATION

Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position. Candidates may be required to meet the asset qualifications, the operational requirements or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed.

Candidates are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of their choice. Candidates are required to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

For this selection process, our intention is to communicate with candidates by e-mail. This includes: invitations, information requests, assessment results, etc. Candidates MUST check their email accounts frequently as there may be a deadline for responses.

Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; candidates whose applications are selected for screening will be contacted when the screening process is completed.

Successful candidates will be expected to complete a period of mandatory training. Absences during the training period will only be considered for the following reason with proof:

• Religious reasons;
• Death in the family;
• Medical reasons; or
• Other exceptional circumstances

APPLICATIONS

Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS): will time out after 60 minutes; this may result in your inability to save your work or loss of data. It is recommended that you draft ALL RESPONSES as well as your CV/résumé in another document on your PC which may be saved (e.g. in MS Word or WordPerfect) and copy/paste into the PSRS when completed.

If you are a Federal Public Servant please identify your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) on your resume and/or application.

It is recommended that you periodically update your application for the assessment process to ensure all your experience is captured. Candidates may be selected for further assessment or for appointment based on the depth and breadth of experience identified in their application.

Applications within this inventory are valid for a period of 365 days (1 year). Before the expiry of this refresh period, you will be required to resubmit your application in order to ensure your continued consideration for this selection process. You will be notified 30 days before the expiration of the refresh period in order to provide you with the opportunity to resubmit your application.

WAITING PERIOD FOR REASSESSMENT

The retest period for re-assessment within the context of this selection process is 365 days (1 year) from the date of elimination at either the written exam, interview, or reference stage of the process. If you submit an application to this selection process before the retest period has elapsed your application will not be considered.

Please note that if you have previously participated in selection process 15-IRB-EA-09-919348 (Member, Refugee Protection Division) with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, your results may be applied to the current process. This will be confirmed during the assessment stage of the selection process. You are required to submit an application to this selection process to be considered further.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

Proof of your education credential(s) and Canadian Citizenship will be required. Education and Citizenship MUST have been acquired at the time of application.

If you are currently an indeterminate or term public servant a copy of your current letter of offer will be required.

ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

Qualifications indicated on this advertisement may be assessed throughout the selection process effective from the time you submit your application. This includes any correspondence (written or oral) with Human Resources and Senior Management.

You may be assessed using one or more of the following tools: standardized tests, written exams, interview, simulation exercise, reference check, and other assessment tools.

Top-down selection may be used in this selection process. For example, a manager could select the first 100 top-scoring applicants based on the results of a written exam to continue to the interview phase of the process. You will be notified if this approach is used.

Pass marks will be established for each qualification. However, achieving the pass mark is not a guarantee of an appointment or that candidates will be put through the next stages of the assessment process. A cut-off score, top-down approach or random selection may be used at any step if there is a sufficient number of candidates to meet anticipated staffing needs.

Timelines for this process are very strict. The onus is on candidates to make themselves available for each assessment session.

Scheduling of alternative assessment dates will ONLY be considered for the following reasons with proof:

• Religious reasons;
• Death in the family;
• Medical reasons;
• Conflicting exams; or
• Other exceptional circumstances

TRAVEL

Please note that in order to proceed with assessments, candidates may be required to travel to the closest assessment location (such as IRB Regional Offices or other assessment centres).

Should a non-public servant candidate residing outside of Canada be invited to an interview, he/she will have two scheduling options to select from:

1. Return to Canada at their own cost for the interview. With this option, we will attempt to coordinate your interview in any major city within Canada; or

2. Find a third party company to help coordinate the evaluation in your location. The third party company must have teleconference or videoconference capabilities. This company could be an Embassy, local government, NGO, or HR firm in a region where you are located. The company would need to have someone available to speak with us in English or French in order to coordinate the interview details and provide them with the necessary information. Any expenses related to this arrangement is the responsibility of the candidate.

If this situation occurs, candidates will be informed in advance and advised of the deadline for the assessment period. Should coordination of the interview not be possible during the assessment period, candidates may not be considered further in the current evaluation. Their application may remain in the inventory for consideration at a future date.

Travel cost for individuals who are not Federal Public Servants will not be covered.

Federal Public Servants' travel will be covered in accordance with the National Joint Council's Travel Directive.

RELOCATION

All newly appointed employees other than EX/GIC appointees to the Federal public service, who accept an indeterminate or term position of at least one year, will be relocated under the Initial Appointees Relocation Program.

The Initial Appointees Relocation Program provides newly appointed employees with the sum of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000), subject to certain provisions.

For more information on the Initial Appointees Relocation Program please visit the following website: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/tbm_113/iairp-prinefp-eng.asp

Federal Public Servants who accept a position will be relocated under the National Joint Council Relocation Directive.

For more information on the Relocation Directive please visit the following website: http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/index.php?dlabel=nrd-drc&lang=eng&did=6&merge=2

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.