Associate Director, Immigration

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Position Summary

The Associate Director, Immigration will lead the immigration team that provides professional expertise, guidance, and acts as resource person to international staff and their dependents with regard to federal and provincial permanent and temporary immigration policies and procedures e.g. LMIA, Study Permits, Certificat d’acceptation du Quebec (CAQ), Work Permits, Entry Visas, Visitors Visas and questions about citizenship.  As a member of the Academic Personnel team, the incumbent contributes directly to the University’s ability to recruit and retain talented international academic staff and is a primary contact for academic immigration matters and, in the interpretation, and application of Québec and Canadian immigration regulations and procedures. 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversees and leads university immigration activities in support of new academic hires falling under Temporary Foreign Worker Program and International Mobility Program.

• Ensures that the University is compliant with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Government of Canada, and with the rules established by the Ministère de l’immigration, de la Francisation et de l’intégration (MIFI), Gouvernement du Québec.
• Provides senior expertise in the development and implementation of immigration procedures within an ever-changing area of complex federal and provincial regulations;
• Oversees the implementation of short-term goals of the immigration office and ensures that the immigration office becomes the centre of expertise University-wide;
• Leads the implementation, modification, and/or improvement of university policies and procedures regarding immigration, to academic staff members;
• Identifies the training needs, plan and guide the implementation of immigration information sessions within the University such as sessions on permanent residency for all employee groups and yearly training sessions for department administrators dealing with immigration or Employer Portal matters.
• Represents the University as appropriate with other universities and leads internal meetings to share best practices with immigration staff and with those who support immigration processes across the university.
• Leads and prepares the McGill response to the Universities Canada survey on foreign workers.
• Prepares communications to the McGill community regarding immigration changes and updates.
• Ensures follow-up with Immigration Quebec, Immigration Canada and, as applicable, Canadian Border Services Agency regarding complex immigration issues and policy changes and ensures immigration officers and staff who support immigration are aware the changes. 
• Provides guidance and acts as a resource person to Deans, Chairs, Faculty administrators and non-Canadian academic staff with regard to federal and provincial Temporary Work Permits and Permanent Residency applications.
• Provides University senior leadership with updates on the progress of applications and assists in providing solution to solutions.
• Liaises with provincial and federal agencies on immigration matters and keeps abreast of new developments, changes to provincial and federal legislation and analyzes impact on the University’s ability to hire and retain foreign nationals, assists the University senior leadership in preparing position statements as requested.
• Liaises with University Government Relations colleagues to discuss complex cases and Governmental Policy Changes and their impact McGill’s Universities Operations. Recommends actions to ensure that McGill is represented during Government policy discussions.
• Acts as the primary contact and advisor to all immigration advisors employed in Faculties with regard to immigration matters and the interpretation and application of Quebec and Canadian immigration regulations and procedures. Guides Faculties to ensure that there is a satisfactory resolution to issues related to their immigration documents; makes direct intervention on their behalf when necessary.
• Acts as a resource and escalation point for complex and sensitive immigration issues across the University.
• Ensures all Immigration Advisors university-wide maintain a pape