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IMMIGRATION INSPECTOR
An integral position in the Immigration and Naturalization Service uniformed officer corps is the
Immigration Inspector. Approximately 300 million people enter the United States annually. The
Immigration Inspector is usually the first United States official a person meets when entering this country.
Duties of the Job
The key responsibility of the Immigration Inspector is to prevent the entry of people who are ineligible
to enter the United States and to properly admit those who are eligible to enter. The work is performed
primarily at land ports of entry, airports, seaports, and other places where people enter the United States
from other countries. The trainee Immigration Inspector performs certain phases of inspection work under
fairly close supervision and assists higher-grade officers in other inspectional processes.
Working Conditions
The Immigration Inspector must wear an official uniform while on duty, must enforce laws and
regulations that may conflict with personal beliefs, must work in pressure situations in which complaints
and criticism from the public are frequent, and must work long, irregular hours under constantly varying
conditions. Overtime is frequently required, and Immigration Inspectors may earn substantial overtime
pay for the performance of extra duties.
Promotion Opportunities
Initial appointments are at grade GS-5. Career progression to grade GS-7 and journeyman grade GS-9
generally follows at one-year intervals. Promotions to higher-graded positions are made through the
competitive procedures of the Federal Merit Promotion System.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR, IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION
SERVICE (SPECIAL AGENT)
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice,
administers and enforces laws that govern admission, exclusion, deportation, and naturalization of aliens.
Its responsibilities include determining whether aliens may enter or remain in the United States,
evaluating the applications of aliens seeking U.S. citizenship, reviewing applications for visas, guarding
against illegal entry into this country, and representing the U.S. government at official immigration
hearings. To meet the new and varied problems and challenges that these responsibilities create, the
Immigration and Naturalization Service employs a force of highly trained officers known as Criminal
Investigators. This force, made up of nonuniformed enforcement officers, has the mission of investigating
and gathering facts in all cases falling within the jurisdiction of INS. Most cases involve administrative
proceedings and criminal prosecutions.
Duties of the Job
The primary responsibility of Criminal Investigators in the INS is investigation of alleged or suspected
violations of federal immigration and naturalization laws. When they receive their assignments, Criminal
