Employment Insurance, Immigration, Border Services, and Revenue Officers

Nature of work

This group includes government officers who administer and enforce laws and regulations related to immigration, customs, border crossing, tax revenue, employment insurance, and other government benefit services. They work for government agencies.

Job duties

Employment insurance officers:

• Determine the eligibility of persons applying for employment insurance benefits.
• Discover the facts like reasons for loss of employment and availability for work.
• Monitor the payments of benefits throughout the duration of a claim and investigate claimants when there appears to be fraud or abuse.

Immigration officers:

• Determine admissibility of persons seeking entry into Canada by examining documents and conducting interviews.
• Grant landed-immigrant status, admit persons, or order detention or deportation.
• Locate and detain persons believed to be disobeying immigration laws.
• Help remove deported people by seeking approval from receiving countries and getting necessary travel documents.
• Appear as a witness in cases related to immigration appeals.

Border services officers and customs inspectors:

• Question persons at border points to determine the admissibility of goods and assess duty.
• Inspect baggage to find undeclared merchandise, or contraband.
• Inform manufacturers and shippers of customs and laws and procedures.
• Monitor production of articles affected by customs laws and conduct appraisals.
• Board carriers arriving from foreign countries to determine nature of cargo to make sure it meets with customs and commerce laws.
• Inspect goods imported by mail.
• May arrest and detain individuals suspected of committing a criminal offence under the Customs Act or certain other designated Criminal Code offences until police intervention is possible.

Excise tax revenue officers:

• Audit accounting records to determine income, exemptions, payable taxes, compliance with reporting regulations and existence of fraud.
• Examine accounting systems and internal controls of organizations.
• Provide advice on reporting and evaluation methods for goods subject to taxation.
• Prepare briefs and assist in searching and seizing records, and in preparing charges for court cases.

Sample job titles

• appeal officer - taxation
• audit reviewer - taxation
• border services officer
• customs officer
• employment insurance agent
• immigration officer
• revenue officer
• tax collection officer
• tax collector
• tax investigator
• taxation officer

Skills

• You need excellent organizational and spoken communication skills. You will need to analyze detailed information and prepare budgets. You must have initiative, be willing to accept new ideas, and be comfortable making decisions. You will need to keep up to date with changes in office software and computing systems.

Job requirements

• A bachelor's degree or college diploma is usually required.
• Specialized government training is required.

Other considerations

• There are no significant seasonal patterns of unemployment in these jobs and people tend to work for the full year. Several years of related administrative or regulatory experience may be required. Movement to managerial positions in these fields is possible with experience.

No regulating bodies were found under this occupation profile

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