Top Three Skills to be a Good Immigration Legal Assistant

There’s no doubt that immigration has become a hot topic and an in-demand field in Canada with the increasing number of immigrants being welcomed into the country. If you wish to become a part of the immigration industry, but don’t want to pursue a full fledged immigration consulting program, Ashton College’s immigration legal assistant certificate (ILAC) course — is a unique combination of paralegal studies with an in-depth focus on immigration law — could be the right path for you.

You could earn an immigration legal assistant certificate — the only such course offered in Canada — in as little as four months and be ready for the job market. Moreover, since the course is offered online, you can access the course from anywhere and study at your convenience. If this sounds like something you’d like to pursue, you’ll want to know if you’re a good fit for the role before taking a course.

Skills Good Immigration Legal Assistant Need

Working in an immigration firm or a law firm that offers immigration support will be fast-paced. One is expected to manage multiple files, which means there will be a lot of documentation to hold on to. As a legal immigration assistant, it will be your job not to let anything slip through the cracks.

Because of this high-paced environment and the need to juggle many tasks, the most important skill to have would be the ability to prioritize tasks and manage your time. There’s no luxury of time to spend hours researching or working on a single file. A good legal immigration assistant is quick and effective. They respect deadlines to help the certified immigration consultant or lawyer finish all their time-sensitive documents with complete information. You will have to work independently with little supervision to accomplish tasks.

The second essential skill a good immigration legal assistant needs is being good at communications. Not only will you need to discuss work and other things with the certified immigration consultant to gather data and information, but you’ll also need to connect and communicate with clients, government agencies and others. As you gather data to complete forms and reports, you’ll also need to be able to relay that information back to the individuals you’re working with. You will be utilizing emails, talking to people over the phone and in-person. This makes communication skills vital.

Being detail oriented is the third essential skill. Since you will be dealing with a lot of legal documents, paying attention to the smallest details will be of high importance. You’ll need to understand what stage each case is at, at all times and know what the next steps are.

Not everyone is skilled in these areas, but if you do, earning an immigration legal assistant certificate will be a great first step towards working in the immigration field.

What does an Immigration Legal Assistant do?

Listed below are some of the responsibilities of immigration legal assistants:

- Communicate with various individuals to gather, report and relay data. This requires a good ear and patience as applicants may have strong accents and won’t likely have advanced levels of communication skills in English.

- Understand, obtain and fill out appropriate forms. This will require input from the certified immigration consultant to understand the immigration streams and the requirements by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

- Maintain timelines. As mentioned above, understanding where each file is at, at all times is essential, and you must be able to communicate this to all parties when needed.

- Filing. You probably guessed this one, but whether it is electronic or paper-based, you will be ensuring accurate filing of all information that flows through the office on various cases.

- Scheduling. As needs arise, you’ll be booking phone calls and appointments between various individuals involved in the process. This may also require you to keep minutes of meetings and create reports.

- Know and understand the process and be empathetic. Part of your job will be to understand what a potential immigrant is going through. It’s important that you know the process they are going through so you can explain it and be compassionate. You’ll need to stay on top of the changes in the immigration field to be an asset to these individuals and the firm you work for.

Who is the program for?

• An immigration or law assistant who wants to move up in their career;
• A legal assistant who wants to specialize in immigration law;
• A foreign-trained legal professional who is looking for faster entry into the Canadian job market; or,
• A recent graduate who wants to enter the legal assistant profession.

If you like the idea of working within the immigration field, earning an immigration legal assistant certificate is the way for you to get into the industry.