UNHCR Protection Intern

Job Description

Deadline for Applications

March 25, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Internship

Target Start Date

2026-05-01

Terms of Reference

Terms 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 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): 2.5-3 months
Contract Type: Engagement is a full-time internship based in person onsite.
Start date: May 2026
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 engages a range of actors on international standards as they relate to refugee protection. 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 and reception laws, policies, and procedures in the U.S., including asylum-seekers (detained and non-detained), non-governmental organizations, and attorneys.
Within MCO-W, the Protection and Solutions Unit (PSU) serves asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless persons who are in the United States or the northern Caribbean or seeking to access protection in these countries and territories. PSU seeks to ensure that law and policy in these locations are aligned with international refugee law and works with stakeholders to ensure protection for forcibly displaced and stateless persons in the area that it covers.
The position
Within PSU, the intern will support the Individual Case (IC) team and related areas of engagement. The 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 forcibly displaced and stateless individuals, NGOs, and attorneys. The team also provides counseling on individual queries from congressional offices, NGOs and resettlement agencies, among other types of inquiries. In addition to individual casework, the intern will attend and provide read-outs from relevant meetings and support staff on projects and other areas of work as needed.

Duties and responsibilities
• Respond to individual queries from or on behalf of forcibly displaced and stateless people;
• Respond to inquiries from congressional offices, NGOs and others that require outreach to UNHCR country offices;
• Open and maintain individual case files in UNHCR’s case management database and conduct data analysis;
• Observe and report on relevant meetings/conferences with NGOs and/or other stakeholders working in the field;
• Support other projects as needed to further assist the team and 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/UNESCO ; and
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR .
• Candidates with previous UNHCR Internship experience must not have exceeded the
maximum total cumulative full-time internship duration of eight (8) months.

Desirable qualifications and skills
• Prior exposure to forced displacement issues, through work or academic study.
• Preference for coursework in forced displacement, refugee law, international human rights, or other related work.
• Preference for developed Spanish language skills.
Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Washington, D.C., USA.
The Intern’s allowance for Washington DC duty station is $1,642.75 USD per month and estimated roundtrip travel cost from North Carolina to Washington DC duty station is $350 USD.
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.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, or training).
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.