UNHCR Legal Fellowships in the United States

[IMPORTANT] How to Apply

To be considered for any one of these positions, candidates must submit the following materials through the UNHCR portal, which will request the information through its application form:
¿ Please include cover letter/Letter of Interest which is part of application. Please explain your interest in that particular fellowship(s), describe what sort of work you seek to do, mention briefly the funding source to be secured that will enable your engagement as a Fellow, and confirm your ability to work full-time and make a one-year commitment
¿ Upload a writing sample of 5-10 pages and send it to XXX @unhcr.org
¿ Please indicate any language skills
¿ Input the contact information for three references in your application.

All vacancies are posted to UNHCR¿s careers webpage (https://www.unhcr.org/other-opportunities.html). On that page, you can select ¿vacancies,¿ which will redirect you to the application site where you may search for positions. Filter by country and select ¿United States.¿ On the bottom of the Job Opening page, you will see an ¿Apply¿ button, and if you have never submitted an application via our careers webpage, you will be requested to register as a New User. Applications will not be accepted by email. Please note that persons interested in applying should have work authorization in the United States for the full duration of the fellowship period. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

The deadline to submit an application is Friday, February 18, 2022 by 6:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)

UNHCR encourages applications from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The agency values diversity, inclusiveness, and gender equity and strives to achieve full adherence to these principles in its policies and organizational culture. For more information on UNHCR¿s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please see the page at this link.
For more information on UNHCR¿s work, please visit our website.
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
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UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency¿s office in the United States, seeks one or more post-graduate Legal Fellows to work full-time in the Protection and Solutions Unit (PSU) for a minimum of one year. The fellowships are based in Washington, D.C. or, if focused on U.S. border work, in El Paso, TX (or potentially San Diego, CA) and will begin in September 2022 or another time to be negotiated.

PSU serves asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless persons in the U.S. PSU is comprised of two sections: U.S. protection and resettlement. In U.S. protection, the office seeks to ensure that U.S. law and policy is aligned with international refugee law and works with stakeholders throughout the country, including at the border, to ensure protection for persons of concern. This includes supporting UNHCR¿s mandate to reduce and prevent statelessness. 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 U.S.

UNHCR will work with the Fellow to craft a portfolio of work that will provide considerable opportunity for professional development while contributing to the unit¿s strategic objectives. Fellowships are available with the legal / protection team (Washington, D.C.); the resettlement team (Washington, D.C.); or the border team (preference for El Paso, TX; potentially San Diego, CA). 
PSU Legal Fellowship Description

The Legal Fellow will lead one or more protection initiatives and thus should indicate areas of interest and expertise in their cover letter. Previous legal fellows have worked on projects in topic areas such as statelessness; immigration detention; international law training; and border assistance. Additional job responsibilities will include support for strategic litigation, assistance to individual cases in need, policy research and advocacy, project management, and other tasks as appropriate.

The Legal Fellow¿s work will fit within the unit¿s overall protection strategy. PSU seeks to ensure protection of asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless persons in the United States. PSU provides comments on proposed legislation and regulations, submits amicus briefs on select international legal issues, monitors U.S. government compliance with international standards, writes Stateless Advisory Opinions and Letters of Support, and conducts trainings and public presentations to a range of audiences. We gather information on protection situations in detention, at the border, and in immigration courts, and work to develop pragmatic alternatives. Additionally, we provide information on the laws, policies, and procedures for seeking asylum and related protection in the United States to persons of concern to UNHCR. Throughout all of these endeavors, UNHCR maintains close communication with government partners at the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and other agencies to ensure that our cooperative relationship is maintained. 

PSU Border Fellowship Description
The Border Fellow will support a dynamic presence between Brownsville, TX and San Diego, CA to provide protection for persons of concern to UNHCR at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Fellow will play an integral leadership role in legal empowerment, working with legal service providers at the border to develop and execute strategies that empower asylum-seekers appearing pro se before U.S. authorities, as well as building networks for legal service providers themselves. Additionally, the Border Fellow will participate in other protection initiatives, including providing support to individual case management, mapping and developing referral pathways for asylum-seekers and refugees, assisting in legal and humanitarian coordination, supporting shelter and other humanitarian interventions, monitoring and reporting on recent developments, and performing project management tasks. Some travel to other border areas, northern Mexico, and to Washington, D.C. may be required. Spanish is essential for this fellowship.

PSU Resettlement Fellowship Description
The Resettlement Fellow will assist staff in working on projects concerning refugees in the U.S. and globally with a primary focus on resettlement out of the Northern Caribbean region. Under supervision, the Fellow will: i) conduct protection assessment interviews with persons of concern located in the Northern Caribbean region, primarily in the Dominican Republic; ii) conduct thorough country of origin research and research relevant laws of third countries; iii) assist the resettlement team in drafting Resettlement Registration Forms for refugees within the Northern Caribbean region; iv) as required, conduct resettlement interviews with refugees in the Northern Caribbean region and draft the corresponding Resettlement Registration Form. Additional responsibilities will include providing case management support through accurately updating resettlement case information in UNHCR¿s internal electronic database, monitoring and tracking resettlement activities, and helping ensure that refugees are kept informed of their resettlement case status. Assistance planning field work in the Caribbean region and translating necessary correspondence and documentation may be required. In the U.S. context, the Fellow will conduct research and writing projects on current issues in refugee law and policy related to resettlement and reception and integration of refugees in the United States. Finally, the Fellow may be required to observe and report on resettlement-related meetings and conferences with stakeholders.
Qualifications and Experience

¿ Must be a 2022 degree candidate or recent graduate from a U.S. law school.
¿ Must have completed coursework in international law; refugee law; and/or human rights; additional coursework in U.S. immigration law preferable.
¿ Preference for experience in U.S. asylum; refugee law; and/or other topics related to refugees, asylum-seekers, and statelessness.
¿ Experience with legal clinics in law school, or other forms of direct service experience with asylum-seekers would be particularly helpful.
¿ Preference for developed Spanish language skills (essential for Border Fellowship).
¿ Excellent oral and written communication skills.
¿ Detail-oriented, with strong research and legal analysis skills.
¿ Self-directed, with ability to multi-task and prioritize with minimal supervision.

The candidate should be able to demonstrate a guaranteed funding source for the one-year period of the fellowship.
Candidates may apply for more than one of these fellowship positions. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, February 18, 2022 by 6:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)

UNHCR encourages applications from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The agency values diversity, inclusiveness, and gender equity and strives to achieve full adherence to these principles in its policies and organizational culture. For more information on UNHCR¿s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please see the page at this link.
For more information on UNHCR¿s work, please visit our website.

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