Immigration Consultant - Riyadh (Senior Associate)

Job Summary:
To consult with relevant teams/key stakeholders and advise them on complex immigration issues for employees joining and transferring in/out of the MENA region. Manage immigration-related activities for employees and their dependents as they join, exit or transfer from one office/legal entity to another within a cluster of offices in the MENA region to facilitate a smooth transitions process.
The remit of this role includes managing and supervising the issuance, renewals and cancellation of Iqama/work permits for new/existing employees and their dependents, ensuring that the firm is compliant with local immigration laws as well as ensuring all trade licenses and audit licenses are active and renewed on time.

Essential functions of the job:

1. Develop the Immigration practice in the respective office.
2. Coach, train and motivate team members to consistently provide excellent service.
3. Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders by providing consistently high levels of customer service.
4. Manage transfers between the 2 legal entities by ensuring all processes are in order and carried out seamlessly.
5. Manage the transition of employees and undertake all coordination with employees and Agents relating to Arabic and E-typing of applications for new as well as Iqama renewals, government forms, MOFA attestation & translation of degree/marriage/birth certificates, etc.
6. Provide administrative support with the preparation of medical documentation, collation of paperwork to be submitted to the PRO for Iqama issuance.
7. Build relationships both within the firm and externally with government authorities in Riyadh, identifying opportunities and managing expectations.
8. Adhere to Quality and Risk Management processes.
9. Manage the issuance of new/renewal of all Iqama types for employees across all service lines in the office.
10. Supervise and coordinate with the PRO for all Iqama applications with issues, to have them resolved through the Immigration and labour offices.
11. Handle all communications with (Pre-boarding & Recruitment) teams.
12. Monitor the status of applications and ensure team adherence to updating the Immigration tool (TMT) as well as generate monthly reports (where applicable).
13. Monitor and track all incoming & outgoing original documentation i.e. marriage/birth/educational/original passports, etc. via the Internal document tracking system Doc-Track.
14. Keep up to date with the latest changes in the world of Immigration and Labour and ensure prompt updates are provided to management as well as the team.
15. Carry out regular risk assessments for new projects assigned and highlight any risks to management prior to deployment.
16. Create and develop process documents for all internal processes within the office.
17. Manage and support any queries received from senior management, employees and guide them in accordance with best practices.
18. Support with inspections of government officials during their visit to the offices across all entities.
19. Escalate any high-risk situations and ensure that the Immigration Lead has adequate information to make the right decisions.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

1. Confidentiality and Integrity, as this role requires dealing with employees' personal documentation.
2. Upholding EY’s values, brand and reputation as well as understanding and following workplace policies and procedures.
3. Excellent communication skills.
4. Excellent knowledge of Labour and Immigration requirements.
5. Enthusiastic and energetic; able to embrace new ways of working.
6. Team player with an ability to build strong client relationships.
7. Project management skills to plan and prioritise work and meet deadlines.
8. Outgoing with good relationship skills and the ability to deliver quality output.
9. Attention to detail with a commitment to high quality and accuracy.
10. Self-starter; willing to be accountable for your decisions and output.
11. Ability to work under pressure.

Job Requirements:

Education:
High School Certificate or bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management or related field.

Experience:
5 - 6 years experience as a government relation representative.
Excellent knowledge of Labour and Immigration requirements.
Fluency in written and spoken Arabic as well as excellent English language skills (written and verbal).
Advanced user of Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel with strong attention to detail.
Nationals of the respective countries with government mandated documents.