BACKGROUND: International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, the IRC provides resettlement, education and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people.
SCOPE OF WORK (Children’s Legal Services Intern): The Children’s Legal Services (CLS) program in New Jersey provides legal representation to unaccompanied children. To be eligible for services, unaccompanied children must be under the age of 18 at the time they enter the CLS program, have no immigration status, and, at the same time, have been officially designated as an unaccompanied child by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). We help them understand the immigration systems, prepare them for hearings, evaluate and advise them on the types of immigration applications they can file, and assist them with preparing their filings. Many cases will also involve hearings in New Jersey state court, and we provide preparation and representation for those hearings as well.
This is an unpaid internship but may be pursued for academic credit. If you are planning to obtain academic credit through the position, please indicate this in your cover letter.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Support in building and fostering relationships with clients by being part of client meetings.
Provide administrative support to the Children’s Legal Services team, including checking for upcoming court hearings and communicating regularly with clients.
Perform research on immigration issues, country conditions, etc.
Assist in tapping into other IRC NJ programs to get additional support for clients when needed, such as educational resources, etc.
COMMITMENT: 12-16 hours per week for 12 weeks. Hybrid schedule.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Intern will gain exposure and understand various immigration processes and reliefs available to unaccompanied children.
Intern will gain exposure to New Jersey family court and procedures.
Intern will learn how to manage client cases within established deadlines.
Intern will develop problem solving skills, client services skills, and intercultural social work skills.