Immigration adviser to immigration policy officer
An immigration adviser already meets 29% of what the immigration policy officer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
69.9/ 100
1 How much of what an immigration policy officer is expected to do is already part of an immigration adviser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the immigration policy officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An immigration policy officer role treats 6 of its required skills as things an immigration adviser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create solutions to problems
- immigration law
- liaise with local authorities
- maintain relations with local representatives
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- show intercultural awareness
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An immigration policy officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an immigration adviser background worth leading with.
- already held immigration law business, administration and law
- already held foreign affairs business, administration and law
- already held observe new developments in foreign countries information skills
- already held maintain relations with local representatives communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held show intercultural awareness communication, collaboration and creativity
All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the immigration policy officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn promote human rights implementation required
- still to learn advise on legislative acts required
- still to learn build international relations required
- optional, not held foster dialogue in society optional
- optional, not held advise on foreign affairs policies optional
- optional, not held analyse community needs optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- still to learn asylum systems required
- still to learn international commercial transactions rules required
- optional, not held international law optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- still to learn develop immigration policies required
- still to learn manage government policy implementation required
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held work within communities optional
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- still to learn social justice required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held policy analysis optional
- still to learn analyse irregular migration required
- optional, not held analyse foreign affairs policies optional
- optional, not held analyse goal progress optional
- optional, not held assess risk factors optional
- optional, not held carry out strategic research optional
- optional, not held enable access to services optional
- optional, not held promote inclusion optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an immigration policy officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse irregular migration practise this
- 02 asylum systems study this
- 03 develop immigration policies practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held immigration law knowledge
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held maintain relations with local representatives skill
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held show intercultural awareness skill
- already held foreign affairs knowledge
- already held observe new developments in foreign countries skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held enable access to services optional
- optional, not held foster dialogue in society optional
- optional, not held policy analysis optional
- optional, not held advise on foreign affairs policies optional
- optional, not held analyse community needs optional
- optional, not held analyse foreign affairs policies optional
- optional, not held analyse goal progress optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held assess risk factors optional
- optional, not held carry out strategic research optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held international law optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held promote inclusion optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
- optional, not held work within communities optional
21 held skills the immigration policy officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on licencing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply immigration law skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assess informational needs skill
- not needed by the target role assess licence applications skill
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role check travel documentation skill
- not needed by the target role correspond with licence applicants skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role issue licences skill
- not needed by the target role issue official documents skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role licences regulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role protect client interests skill
- not needed by the target role provide immigration advice skill
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
- not needed by the target role screen clients skill
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn asylum systems required
- still to learn international commercial transactions rules required
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- still to learn social justice required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held policy analysis optional
- optional, not held international law optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
Common questions about this move
Can an immigration adviser become an immigration policy officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An immigration adviser already covers 29% of what an immigration policy officer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 6 of which the immigration policy officer role treats as required.
What skills does an immigration adviser need to become an immigration policy officer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse irregular migration.
How hard is the move from immigration adviser to immigration policy officer?
Its learning distance is 69.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.