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1. Immigration liaison officers shall carry out their tasks within the framework of their responsibilities determined by the deploying authorities and in accordance with the provisions, including those on the protection of personal data, laid down in Union and national laws and in any agreements or arrangements concluded with third countries or international organisations.

2. Immigration liaison officers shall carry out their tasks in accordance with fundamental rights as general principles of Union law as well as international law, including human rights obligations. They shall have particular consideration for vulnerable persons and take into account the gender dimension of migration flows.

3. Each deploying authority shall ensure that immigration liaison officers establish and maintain direct contacts with the competent authorities of third countries, including, when appropriate, with local authorities, and any relevant organisations operating within the third country, including international organisations, notably with a view to implementing this Regulation.

4. Immigration liaison officers shall collect information, for use either at operational level, strategic level, or both. Information collected under this paragraph shall be collected in accordance with Article 1(2) and shall not contain personal data, without prejudice to Article 10(2). Such information shall cover the following issues in particular:

(a) European integrated border management at the external borders, with a view to managing migration effectively;

(b) migratory flows originating from or transiting through the third country, including where possible and relevant, the composition of migratory flows and migrants’ intended destination;

(c) routes used by migratory flows originating from or transiting through the third country in order to reach the territories of the Member States;

(d) the existence, activities and modi operandi of criminal organisations involved in smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings along the migratory routes;

(e) incidents and events that have the potential to be or to cause new developments with respect to migratory flows;

(f) methods used for counterfeiting or falsifying identity documents and travel documents;

(g) ways and means to assist the authorities in third countries in preventing illegal immigration flows originating from or transiting through their territories;

(h) pre-departure measures available to immigrants in the country of origin or in host third countries that support successful integration upon legal arrival in Member States;

(i) ways and means to facilitate return, readmission and reintegration;

(j) effective access to protection that the third country has put in place, including in favour of vulnerable persons;

(k) existing and possible future legal immigration strategies and channels between the Union and third countries, taking into account skills and labour market needs in Member States, as well as resettlement and other protection tools;

(l) capacity, capability, political strategies, legislation and legal practices of third countries and stakeholders, including, where possible and relevant, regarding reception and detention centres and the conditions therein, as relevant to the issues referred to in points (a) to (k).

5. Immigration liaison officers shall coordinate among themselves and with relevant stakeholders regarding the provision of their capacity-building activities to authorities and other stakeholders in third countries.

6. Immigration liaison officers may render assistance, taking into account their expertise and training, in:

(a) establishing the identity and nationality of third-country nationals and facilitating their return in accordance with Directive 2008/115/EC, as well as assisting their reintegration, where relevant and possible;

(b) confirming the identity of persons in need of international protection for the purposes of facilitating their resettlement in the Union, including by providing them, where possible, with adequate pre-departure information and support;

(c) confirming identity and facilitating implementation of Union and national measures in respect of the admission of legal immigrants;

(d) sharing information obtained in the course of their duties within networks of immigration liaison officers and with competent authorities of the Member States, including law enforcement authorities, in order to prevent and detect illegal immigration as well as combat smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings.