Country Coordinator - World-at-Large - Consular Affairs Liaison Subcommittee (CAL)

• Triage and assign requests for assistance from education abroad colleagues regarding student visa matters via NAFSA’s EA Visa Help tool.
• Work with World-at-large liaisons to identify changes in visa policies and procedures and update the NAFSA website in conjunction with NAFSA staff partner.
• Contact consulates and visa officers when possible to seek clarification on student visa procedures.
• Consult with the liaisons for WAL regarding action needed to resolve visa emergencies reported by the education abroad community.
• Monitor and respond to requests for visa assistance from SECUSS-L, the EAKC Network, or other discussion forums.
• Recruit and appoint regional world-at-large liaisons (in coordination with the subcommittee chair) for the country for which you are responsible.
• If attending a NAFSA regional conference or NAFSA annual conference, participate in the NAFSA EA visa updates session.
• Set agenda and lead quarterly calls with members of the WAL team.
• Participate in CAL leadership calls periodically with other country coordinators and chair
• Assist with other related duties as requested by subcommittee chair.

All NAFSA leaders are expected to foster an inclusive environment and seek to learn and understand the multicultural perspectives of the committee/team, our constituents, and stakeholders to align with the NAFSA Diversity and Inclusion Statement. An expression of leadership in this area includes:

• Engaging the committee/team to identify and implement strategies for increased personal outreach, recruitment, and onboarding for all, especially diversity-focused and underrepresented groups
• Increasing accessibility and participation from underrepresented groups, individuals, and institutions
• Expanding educational content within the committees’ purview through intentional outreach and recruitment of diverse presenters and institutional types in partnership with various NAFSA groups

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a professional association driven by its Strategic Plan as established by the Board of Directors.  The success of the association depends on the productive engagement of three key constituencies: the Board, member-leaders, and staff.  Member-leaders are advocates for the association’s mission, vision, values, diversity and inclusion, and ethical principles. They align their work closely with the Board through its vice presidents and with staff to carry out the Strategic Plan. Member-leader roles are guided by objectives assigned by the Strategic Plan, by outcome accountabilities outlined in the Standing Rules, and by position descriptions for specific roles.
 

• This position collaborates closely with other NAFSA leaders to enhance work efforts across the association.
• This position partners closely with the NAFSA staff partner assigned. Effective relationships reflect and include responsiveness to phone calls/e-mail correspondence, timely delivery on responsibilities, open communication and mutual respect among other characteristics.
   

• Estimated 3-4 hours per month responding to visa cases or subcommittee projects.
• Expected attendance in a quarterly call with other World-at-Large CAL members.
• Current NAFSA membership throughout the length of volunteer service is required.

• Ability to communicate with colleagues and government officials in a collegial and diplomatic fashion.
• Demonstrated expertise in education abroad.
• Valid NAFSA membership through the length of the leadership term.
• Ability to work effectively with a team in an outcomes-based environment.
• Institutional support for this volunteer commitment.
• Willingness to adopt organization-wide perspectives and EA RP strategic priorities.
• Willingness to adopt association priorities and perspectives on volunteer development and management.
• High strategic planning, management, networking, and delegation experience
• Manage unconscious bias in the assessment and decision-making process
• Ability to meet the volunteer commitment outlined and planning calendar deadlines
• Knowledge of visa procedures for students studying abroad from the United States.  Preferably broad-based EA visa knowledge for a variety of countries or specialized knowledge of visa regulations in one or more of the following regions:
  • North America, Central America, and the Caribbean
  • South America
  • Scandinavia
  • Eastern Europe
  • Asia
  • Western Europe (excluding UK, Spain, France, or Italy)
  • Africa
  • Oceania
  • Middle East