Stories from migration foreign service officers

How would you typically start your day?

I like to wake up early to exercise before work. I live in a 4-bedroom apartment, on the 25th floor, overlooking the Hong Kong Harbor. In Hong Kong, the staff quarters are assigned to officers; we don’t need to find our own, and these quarters are beautiful. After I exercise in the gym, which is on the ground floor, I am back upstairs in no time. I grab coffee, get ready for work and then head to the metro for my 15 minute commute. Hong Kong is already bustling and humid. I take the train a few stops to Quarry Bay and arrive at work at 7:50 a.m. We have two offices in Hong Kong, the second of which is located in the Central District.

Was Hong Kong on your list of places where you’d like to work?

It was on my list but it was not my first choice because Hong Kong has not recognized same-sex partners and I was not sure how the diplomatic accreditation process would go. A special arrangement was made to grant same-sex partners of diplomats the ability to acquire a Hong Kong ID card, which would allow them to work. My partner and I were excited by the challenge Hong Kong presented. He had always lived in the UK and this was a new adventure for us.

You’ve arrived at work; what happens next?

On days when its my turn to open the office, I arrive early to go through the security protocol. I check my email for any urgent cases that have been flagged or important requests that came in overnight while I let my team settle in. I oversee a team of 12 knowledgeable and efficient local citizens hired to work at the embassy and each has quite a few years of experience. While my role in Hong Kong is temporary (my assignment is only for 3 years), theirs is not. We depend on them for much of the local context and continuity.

I call a quick team meeting to go over the current priorities, ongoing cases and projects, and service standards.

What is your role and what are your typical duties?

My title is Senior Migration Officer; I am the temporary resident unit manager. I oversee the processing of temporary residence applications, including study and work permits, as well as temporary resident visas. I spend a significant part of my day processing migration applications and managing my team, but I also carve out time to push various projects forward and attend meetings.

You were posted in Hong Kong for 3 years. In what ways was your experience rewarding and challenging?

Hong Kong presented a lot of challenges both personally and professionally. Prior to my arrival, I had been in supervisory roles while in Mexico and London, but the temporary resident unit manager was my first managerial role, 7 years into my foreign service career.

A year after my arrival, I was given the role of biometrics visa application centre officer, in addition to my unit manager duties. It was a lot to juggle but it was very rewarding work.

Visa application centers (VAC)s are locations around the world that are contracted to collect biometrics, such as fingerprints and photos, for migration applications. My role was to perform unannounced inspections throughout the year to ensure that VACs are in compliance with privacy policies, and have adequate supplies and functioning equipment. At one point, I was responsible for 18 locations in China and surrounding countries including Japan, the Philippines, Mongolia and South Korea.

While the main role of an officer is to process applications, how has your experience diversified from one assignment to another?

My first assignment was in Mexico City. I was there for 2 years and was mainly processing migration applications. I became somewhat of a GCMS^{Footnote 1} expert and as a result, I was able to help teach my colleagues.

I moved to London for my next assignment, which is where I graduated from the FSDP , from FS-01 to FS-02. I was mainly responsible for processing economic immigration files like skilled workers, but I brought with me my expertise in GCMS. I launched a short monthly digest with stories about how to work in GCMS and developed an internal website for tips and tricks to help other officers.

London is where I really started getting into the promotional aspect of my position. We were asked to promote Express Entry, which is the online system we use to manage immigration applications from skilled workers. I was able to take a day trip to the office in Paris, which had more experience hosting webinars, and learn how to best make use of the technology. Shortly after, we launched our own series of webinars. It was a great opportunity for myself and other officers to step out of the processing role, engage with clients and answer their questions.