Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)H (no hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeInternship
Target Start Date2025-06-02
Deadline for ApplicationsApril 2, 2025
Terms of ReferenceTerms of Reference
Internship
UNHCR Multi-Country Office Washington, Protection and Solutions Unit (PSU)
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship with the US-focused Protection and Solutions Unit at UNHCR’s Multi-Country Office in Washington, D.C., USA.
Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions.
Title: Protection Intern
Internship Location: Washington, D.C., USA Duration (length of internship): Ten weeks Contract Type: Internship (Full time)
Start date: June or the start of July 2025. There is flexibility around the start date, however PSU is seeking an intern to remain with the unit for the full month of July and as much of August as possible.
Organizational context
UNHCR’s Multi Country Office in Washington D.C. (MCO-W) serves as a resource to policymakers in drafting and implementing refugee protection measures and monitors US compliance with international standards. MCO-W maintains relationships with key government partners, including the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice. Staff also closely engage with US resettlement NGOs. The operation plays a role in providing information on asylum laws, policies, and procedures in the US, particularly to those in immigration detention, asylum-seekers, non-governmental organizations, and attorneys. Further, the office also monitors detention conditions as well asylum access at the US southern border and engages on the issue of statelessness in the US.
Within MCO-W, the Protection and Solutions Unit (PSU) serves asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless persons who are in the United States or seeking to enter the United States to seek asylum or be admitted to the United States as a refugee. PSU seeks to ensure that US law and policy is aligned with international refugee law and works with stakeholders throughout
the country to ensure protection for asylum-seekers, refugees, stateless people, and others. In resettlement, UNHCR focuses primarily on three different areas of engagement: a) global refugee populations, b) refugees identified for resettlement in the Caribbean region, and c) reception and integration of refugees in the United States.
The position
Within PSU, the intern will support the Individual Case (IC) team. The IC team The Individual Case (IC) Team facilitates a central part of UNHCR’s work in the U.S. to provide information on the laws, policies, and procedures for seeking protection in the United States to asylum- seekers, NGOs, and attorneys. The team also provides counseling on individual resettlement queries from congressional offices, NGOs and resettlement agencies.
Duties and responsibilities
• Answer and respond to individual queries from asylum seekers, refugees, stateless people, and other people with and for whom UNHCR works;
• Conduct country of origin and other research to support individual asylum cases;
• Provide counseling on individual resettlement queries from congressional offices,
NGOs and resettlement agencies through writing to UNHCR country offices;
• Observe and report on relevant meetings and conferences with government agencies
and various NGOs working in the field;
• Open and maintain individual case files in UNHCR’s case management database;
• Conduct other projects as needed to further assist the people with and for whom
UNHCR works.
Minimum qualifications required.
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO1; and
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR2.
• Candidates with previous UNHCR Internship experience must not have exceeded the maximum total cumulative full-time internship duration of eight (8) months.
In the education section of the application, please make sure that your school is selected from the list of accredited higher education institutions when creating a profile in UNHCR Recruitment Portal - Workday. To do this, click on the magnifying glass next to Select School, then select Contains next to Description, type in the name of the school, click Look up and finally click on the result.
For internships, completed university degree is not a requirement.
Desirable qualifications and skills
• Preference for developed Spanish language skills.
• Prior exposure forced displacement issues, through work or academic study.
• Preference for coursework in forced displacement, refugee law, international human rights, or other related work.
Conditions
It is a full/part-time role with working hours starting from 9:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Washington, D.C., USA.
Internships normally last two to six months with the possibility of extension up to eight months for full-time internships and twelve months for part-time internships.
How to apply
The selected candidate will receive a link to the UNHCR recruitment portal to create a profile.
Obligations
Acquiring and renewing current visas, residence permits including all associated costs, obtaining medical certification and compliance with taxation requirements (if applicable), are the responsibility of the intern.
The selected candidate will need to provide UNHCR with a proof of funding from the sponsoring institution (if applicable), health insurance coverage applicable to the assigned internship location and a certificate of good health from a qualified medical practitioner certifying their fitness for work, as well as travel. In the event the candidate is not able to produce the required certificate, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme.
Allowance and Travel: The Sponsoring Institution shall provide non-reimbursable financial support in the form of a stipend/scholarship/allowance/etc. for the period of internship with UNHCR. Travel expenses to and from the internship location shall be the responsibility of the respective sponsoring institution. UNHCR is not responsible for any renumeration for the intern during the internship period.
If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form.
There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process.
Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request.
All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.
Standard Job Description
Required Languages English
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Desired Languages
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Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance
Home-BasedNo