Foreign Service Development Program: A career as a migration foreign service officer

Foreign service officers have a long tradition of providing services abroad, dating back to as early as the mid-19th century. Since that time, Canada’s society and economy have radically changed. Globalization is now a reality, bringing with it an unprecedented movement of people.

Today, the work of migration foreign service officers is more diversified and challenging than ever. Officers continue to work in complex, high volume, fast-paced environments where the core of their work involves making decisions on temporary resident, permanent resident and refugee applications.

Migration foreign service officers deliver IRCC’s migration program and participate in:

• application processing
• risk assessment
• engagement
• migration diplomacy activities
• stewardship

Officers need to acquire in-depth knowledge of complex legislation and demonstrate the skills and leadership competencies required to represent Canada’s interests abroad.

A migration foreign service officer spends about two thirds of their career outside of Canada. Officers work for specific periods of time

• in Canada
• at Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers, also known as PAFSO, represents not only IRCC’s officers but officers from other government departments who work in different capacities abroad.

Job rotation

Migration foreign service officer positions are fully rotational, meaning that officers are required to change assignments every 2 to 4 years. This is commonly referred to as “rotationality”.

• It is a condition of employment, which means officers must be willing and able to be posted abroad or in Canada at the request of the employer.

The majority of assignments are outside of Canada, where day-to-day life can be very different and often more challenging than in Canada. Foreign service officers are required to accept assignments of various hardship levels throughout their career.

Officers typically move abroad for work assignments in the Canadian summer months, but it’s not uncommon to move at other times of the year.

The duration of a single work assignment is usually between 2 and 4 years. The level of hardship and operational requirements of the employer are two of the largest factors in determining the duration of the assignment.

• Hardship, also known as posting level, refers to the rating established by Global Affairs Canada following a thorough analysis of the country in question. This assists in determining the length of time spent on assignment at each location, with the higher hardship locations typically requiring a shorter assignment.

Migration foreign service officers are required to participate in the assignments process on an annual basis.

• This process allows officers to provide input relating to their overseas assignment, including any personal, family and professional information they would like to be taken into consideration.
  • This information is taken into account as part of the assignment process; however, there is no guarantee that an officer will be sent to one of their preferred locations. Each location offers something different to develop an officer’s professional skill set.

It is up to the officer to determine whether their dependants (including spouse, common-law partner and children), will accompany them overseas.

• Accompanying dependants are also considered representatives of Canada and must be accredited or welcomed by the host government under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Additional information on this can be found in the Foreign Service Directives.

Living abroad

Most work assignments abroad are in countries where life can be very different, and often more challenging than life in Canada. Officers need to be adaptable, flexible and willing to accept assignments in a variety of hardship locations throughout their career. They get to travel all over the world to places like Addis Ababa, Algiers, Guangzhou, Lagos, Port of Spain and Yaoundé, and are exposed to different cultures and experiences. They also experience stressful events like moving to different countries and starting in a new work environment every few years!

Some of IRCC’s largest migration offices abroad are located in:

• Asia such as Beijing, Manila and Pakistan
• Africa such as Accra, Dakar, Dar Es Salam and Nairobi
• South and Central America such as Kingston and Mexico

Many of IRCC’s over 60 locations abroad have robust teams to help officers prior to and upon their arrival.

The Foreign Service Directives outline what each officer is entitled to with regard to support relocating and living around the world as a representative of Canada.

Salary and benefits

We hire Foreign Service Development Program (FSDP) officers at the FS-01 level, with a starting salary of $81,792 (as of July 1, 2025)  per year.

After graduating from the program, officers are promoted to the FS-02 level, with a starting salary of $92,448 (as of July 1, 2025) per year.

Pay rates may change as new collective agreements are signed.

While abroad, migration foreign service officers are entitled to Foreign Service Directive benefits, which cover some costs associated with living abroad.

Officers are also eligible for the following benefits:

• Public Service Health Care Plan
• Public Service Dental Plan
• Disability Insurance Plan
• Supplementary Death Benefit Plan
• Public Service Pension Plan

Stories from foreign service officers