Immigration Judge Positions

[jafo]

Dec 21, 2015 11:21:17 GMT -5 batman1463 said:

Can you share in what state/region of the country the two received their offers?

I do know where the offers are for but I don't feel I'm in the position to share their personal information. I can say that I would be happy to have received either offer.
Neither of them have a clue as to when their start date may be.

[batman1463]

Thanks.  Didn't mean to request any personal information.  I was hoping you could share general information regarding the region in which the offers were made, such as Southwest/Northeast, etc., which could be any state.  It would help give an idea of where EOIR is focusing it's recruitment.  Otherwise I understand your desire to maintain confidences.

[jafo]

I'm guessing that the next appointments (January?) and the following group (Spring/Summer?) will be filling vacancies in cities and detention centers in all regions.

[rocco1]

I received letters on all of my applications TODAY that I completed in November, 2015 stating that stating that my application indicated I was qualified for the position and my name has been referred to the employing agency for consideration.  Does this letter mean anything positive or just a statement that I completed my application.

[robespierre]

Same here, Rocco. I don't know, but I suspect it just means we filled out the paperwork correctly and were found to fulfill the basic requirements such as X years of practice, US citizen, etc.

[Gaidin]

Jan 5, 2016 14:56:29 GMT -5 robespierre said:

Same here, Rocco. I don't know, but I suspect it just means we filled out the paperwork correctly and were found to fulfill the basic requirements such as X years of practice, US citizen, etc.

At least you are seeing movement and that isn't a bad thing.

[rebfly]

I just got the e-mails as well. Hey, at least they were not rejections!

[jessejames]

I received emails for each city with a pending IJ application.

[batman1463]

I received similar notices today for all the cities I applied for consideration.

[wacokid]

Ditto. I will add that this seems to be a new "step" since the September 2014 applications. I applied then, also, and never received this notification but later received an interview.

[aljwatch]

Yes, it seems that OPM's involvement in the early stages of the new application process has added this notification. Kind of nice, since for past applications you never knew if your name was forwarded or not. Heard of offers being extended under the "old" applications (Sep 2014), so that process is not over yet. The New Year seems to have brought movement on various fronts, so good luck to all!

[medsjet]

Jan 5, 2016 14:50:52 GMT -5 rocco1 said:

I received letters on all of my applications TODAY that I completed in November, 2015 stating that stating that my application indicated I was qualified for the position and my name has been referred to the employing agency for consideration.  Does this letter mean anything positive or just a statement that I completed my application.

Same here. I believe it just means we were nominally qualified!  This promises to be a long process (read marathon), just like the ALJ process.  This despite the incredible backlog of immigration cases and the political rhetoric of needing so many more IJs.  Good luck to all.

[jafo]

Same notices for the cities I applied for.
Any updates on the current hiring from the 2014 posting? Are they still interviewing from that group of applicants and any word on when the next class will be starting?

[batman1463]

Heard from a reliable source that 18 positions are expected to be filled in the 2nd quarter of 2016 in the following courts: Buffalo (2), Detroit (2), Houston (1), Los Angeles (1), New York (1), Newark (1), Pearsall (3), Philadelphia (1), Port Isabel (2), San Antonio (1), and San Francisco (1). I don't know if these are related to the 2014 class or later class(es).

[jafo]

Jan 7, 2016 15:21:25 GMT -5 batman1463 said:

Heard from a reliable source that 18 positions are expected to be filled in the 2nd quarter of 2016 in the following courts: Buffalo (2), Detroit (2), Houston (1), Los Angeles (1), New York (1), Newark (1), Pearsall (3), Philadelphia (1), Port Isabel (2), San Antonio (1), and San Francisco (1). I don't know if these are related to the 2014 class or later class(es).

I know of other 2014 applicants that received offers for locations not on your list. Wondering if this means a second class or they'll be added to this list.

[batman1463]

You are correct. It appears that several other positions not reflected in my last message are at various stages of recruitment.

[jafo]

So, do you think (know) if there will a second class or one larger one?

[batman1463]

I don't know. I can only hope so, though.

[sealaw90]

So for all of you folks who have applied to be an IJ but either didn't get selected for an interview, or did interview but did not get offered a position, here is an opportunity to get into ICE as the agency representative, appear before the IJs and THEN jump over the table to be an IJ.


General Attorney, Field Operations


What's kinda important is that on one hand they say it's for one position, but they list over 30 cities you may be located, plus they plan to make multiple offers from this one solicitation.

While this practice is not for the faint of heart, I wish you luck in pursuing an opportunity to practice law that impacts lives on a daily basis.

[aljwatch]

Finally got word that I will be starting next month, with the training in Falls Church first 2 weeks of March. Other information I have picked up (some of it unconfirmed) is that there will be trainings for new Immigration Judges every month or two through the year as they get groups of new hires together and that each training group will be around 8-9 IJs. Some of this may just be a function of the fact that the applicants' background checks are being completed in a slow, steady trickle. Or, maybe the large number of judges they intend to hire would be too difficult to manage in just one or two classes, and they want to get the judges into the courts as soon as possible once the background checks are completed.

I also heard that there may be some second round interviews coming up (presumably for the 8/2014 application crowd), and I know of one offer that was extended in January (for someone who completed both interviews before the end of the year). I have not heard about any first round interviews being set yet for the Nov. 2015 applications.

As I embark on this new adventure, I want to thank everyone on this board for all of the information (and speculation) and support. Both the ALJ and IJ application processes have had their excruciating and inexplicable aspects. But, this forum has been a place to help regain perspective and to get some comfort just from knowing there are a lot of us out there looking to make a career change and hoping for a positive outcome. I wish all the best to the new IJs who will start this year, but also to all of those who are starting as SSA ALJs in February and those still on the Register who will (hopefully) get picked up in the next few rounds of hiring. I think most of us have a realistic view of what these jobs will be like (the good, the bad, and the ugly), yet feel it will be a good career move for a variety of reasons. Wherever you end up, may you be successful and content.