Legal Assistant

This position is located in the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), Executive Office for Immigration Review, U. S. Department of Justice. It provides legal and administrative support to the BIA by processing and tracking appellate cases, reviewing files and case documents, supporting Board orders, maintaining files, and coordinating workflow. This is a Competitive Service position; additional positions may be filled from this announcement within 90 days of certificate issuance.

Duties

The duties and responsibilities for a Legal Assistant, GS-0986-8/9 generally include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Providing technical legal and administrative support to appellate immigration judges in reviewing immigration and nationality cases and processing actions that result in formal Board orders.
• Coordinating, routing, and monitoring case assignments to maintain an orderly workflow and identify detained, expedited, or special review cases requiring immediate attention.
• Reviewing case records and critical data fields, research supporting documents, identify errors or omissions, and ensure compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, precedents, and procedures.
• Using automated case management and attorney discipline systems to track case status, file locations, corrections, revisions, deadlines, correspondence, and supporting documentation.
• Proofreading, formatting, and editing legal documents, opinions, correspondence, and orders for accurate citations, quoted material, grammar, style, and compliance with Board procedures.
• Establishing, organizing, maintaining, and closing legal and administrative files, determining which case materials must be retained under established records procedures.
• Responding to procedural inquiries, research case status, draft correspondence, coordinate schedules and oral arguments, and maintain legal reference materials for appellate immigration judges.

Salary

• $63,940 - $91,815/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• Salary payments must be by direct deposit to a financial institution.
• If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. See “How to Apply” section for more information.
• Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for the Legal Assistant position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

FOR THE GS-08 LEVEL:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks, full-time) of specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (or comparable experience outside the Federal service), performing 3 or more of the following duties:

1. Reviewing legal or administrative case files for completeness using established procedures;
2. Updating case information in an automated case management system;
3. Maintaining legal files in accordance with records procedures; and
4. Proofreading routine legal documents for accuracy and proper format.

(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)

FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks, full-time) of specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-08 level in the Federal service (or comparable experience outside the Federal service), performing 3 or more of the following duties:

1. Applying statutes, regulations, and precedents to determine whether case actions comply with regulatory requirements;
2. Researching regulations, precedents, and agency guidance to address procedural questions and process legal case actions;
3. Tracking priority legal cases and updating case status to support expedited review and timely processing; and
4. Providing case status and procedural information to attorneys, judges, staff, or other authorized parties.

(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.

Other Information 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 with 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. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria and must submit proof of eligibility for the special selection priority. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility can be found by clicking here. Note: Multiple selections may be made from this announcement. Salaries listed above are an approximation and are subject to duty station locality adjustment. Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Required Documents

Your complete Application Package (containing the above required documents) must be received no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on the closing date.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your Resume (2 pages) showing relevant experience; cover letter optional. (Please see the How You Will Be Evaluated section for more details on the resume)
2. A complete Application Questionnaire. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13006104
3. Complete the USA Hire Assessments, you will receive a notification with your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline if an assessment is required.
4. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable to you.

• Transcripts, if qualifying based on education. (Must include your name, college name and address, courses, dates attended, major and degree, cumulative grade point average (GPA), any honors received, and date the degree was awarded / conferred.) (Please see the Education Section)
• CTAP/ICTAP documents (Please see the Additional Information section)
• Veterans Preference Documentation:
  • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
  • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
  • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from https://www.va.gov/records/download-va-letters/ or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
• Any other supporting documentation required for verification as described in the announcement.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Note: Multiple selections may be made from this announcement. Salaries above are an approximation.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Occupational questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13006104
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 07/30/2026.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.