Legal Migration Expert

I. Background

Seefar implements Raising Awareness of the Dangers of Irregular Migration II (RADIM II) across four governorates in Federal Iraq including Baghdad, Basra, Dhi Qar, and Al-Muthanna. RADIM II aims to reduce irregular migration by strengthening awareness at individual and community level, providing targeted psychosocial and practical support to at-risk youth, and connecting individuals to viable local and overseas alternatives.

A core element of RADIM II is ensuring that young people who are considering irregular migration and have the potential to migrate legally, are supported to do so.

II. Objective of the Position

Seefar plans to appoint a Legal Migration Advisor to deliver specialist advice to programme participants with strong prospects of successfully obtaining work or study visas abroad. The assignment is part-time and deliverables based. It is expected to run from October 2026 to March 2027, with the potential to convert to a full time position during that period. The Advisor must be based in Federal Iraq.

III. Key Responsibilities

1. Support the development of a legal advisory training curriculum. This will include conducting 10-12 interviews with potential candidates and two focus group discussions to help us understand how best to position the service.
2. Build rapport with 15-30 candidates who have been screened for legal mobility. You will collaborate with the MEL Analyst to select the candidates, then set up tailored engagement plans which seek to remove the barriers to mobility for each one and identify a high-prospect pathway to migration.
3. Across 1:1 advisory sessions and ad-hoc follow up, provide the candidates support with their applications and help them to succeed.
4. Complete monitoring forms as requested and provide regular feedback to the team, so we can continually improve the service.
5. Conduct a short exercise to test the willingness of candidates to pay for the service in the long term, as part of the service’ plan for longer term sustainability. (Note: this is only a test and candidates will not be charged.)
6. Take part in training and coaching as required by your supervisor.

The Legal Migration Expert shall provide guidance across some or all the following pathways, and may propose additional legal routes based on demand and their expertise:

• Legal labour migration and overseas employment
• Investment-based migration routes
• Student visa applications and study-abroad pathways
• Scholarships and funded study opportunities
• Family reunion.
• Other legal migration or mobility pathways relevant to youth

Sessions will be delivered online and in person.

IV. Remuneration

You will be paid GBP 900 (approx. USD1,200) per month for a maximum of five months, with an expectation that you work approximately 20 hours per week. In each month, you’ll be expected to handle a caseload of 8 -10 ongoing and new candidates. Conversion to a full time contract depends on performance and external funding.

In addition, you will receive an additional bonus of GBP 90 (approx. USD120) for every successful application, up to a maximum of five education and five work applications. The maximum bonus payable is GBP 900.

We will make space available for in-person meetings.

V. Qualifications and Experience

You should apply if you meet most or all of the following criteria:

• Proven experience in an advisory or counselling role. You’ll need to address the psychological, social, and practical barriers they are facing to legal mobility.
• Empathy, emotional intelligence, and passion to help people achieve their dreams. Your friends and family probably describe you as optimistic.
• Recognised university-level qualification in law, social studies, humanities, or a related field.
• Knowledge of how work and study visas work.
• Fluency in Arabic and English is required. Other Iraqi languages are an advantage.
• Availability for both online and in-person sessions.
• Based in Federal Iraq, with a preference for Baghdad or Basra. In exceptional cases, where all other requirements are met, candidates based in KRI may be considered.
• Successfully completed at least one of the following:
  • Study or work (non-study) visa application to any country in the region
  • Application (or scholarship application) to a top 2,000 University