Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisor

Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, Cairo

Call for Applications: Refugee LegalAid Program, Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisor,

Founded in 1979, StARS is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad program areas: education, psychosocial, legal, community outreach and unaccompanied youth and children support services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.

StARS’ Mission: Driven by a commitment to solidarity and human dignity, StARS works both as displaced people and for displaced people to support the resilience and leadership of individuals and communities in their pursuit of an enhanced quality of life.

StARS’ Vision: StARS envisions a future where displaced people and the societies they join stand in solidarity, recognizing the strength and leadership of refugees. In this world, the displaced thrive with dignity, claiming their rights and enriching our shared human experience.

Standard of Professional Conduct: StARS and all its staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in StARS’ Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding Policy, and PSEAH policy.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: StARS is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. StARS expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.

We serve people from many places, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

To learn more please visit our website: www.stars-egypt.org or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices?fref=ts

Role

Each year, the Refugee Legal Aid Program offers several unpaid internships for qualified candidates who can join us for six months. Under the supervision of the Refugee Status Determination Coordinator and Refugee Status Determination Senior Legal Officers, the Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisors are responsible for the provision of legal advice and representation to urban refugees in matters related to their Refugee Status Determination procedures with UNHCR Egypt.

Among other responsibilities, Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisors conduct Refugee Status Determination workshops to educate refugeesabout the process in Egypt; accompanyclients to refugee status determination interviews at UNHCR; conductscreening interviews with clients seeking assistance appealing the rejection of their refugee status determination claims or seeking to reopen their UNHCR files; represent clients in various refugee status determination procedures, including refugee status determination appeals, and serve as on-call legal advisors, providing information and assistance to clientson a walk-in basis.

Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisors are responsible for their own caseloads and get extensive direct experience representing refugees. Following the completion of their six-month commitment, volunteers have gone on to work with UNHCR, IOM, and other international non-governmental organizations.

The Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisors are part of RLAP’s team of approximately 20 legal staff and volunteers.

Responsibilities

All duties are carriedout under the supervision of the Refugee Status Determination Coordinator and Refugee Status Determination Senior Legal Officers.

Legal and Technical

• Responsible for managing own caseload spanning the spectrum of the Refugee Status Determination team’s work.
• To conduct workshops with groups and individual clients regarding the refugee status determination procedures at UNHCR in Egypt.
• To conduct screening and intake interviews with potential clientsseeking representation in refugee status determination matters.
• To serve as on-callresources for clientsseeking legal adviceon a walk-in basis, providingcounseling to clientsregarding registration, protection, and refugee status determination procedures at UNHCR.
• To maintain good workingknowledge of UNHCRpolicies and procedures in refugee status determination matters.
• To maintain good workingknowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of StARS’clients.
• To assess extra-legal client needs and recommend referralsto other StARS teams or external organizations as appropriate.
• To undertake comprehensive case management practicesincluding maintaining and updating electronic databases and records for each client,and keep detailednotes of all casework activities.
• To adhere to the Nairobi Code of Ethics, the StARS Staff Handbook, and the StARS Code of Conduct.

Programmatic

• To attend and contribute to Refugee Status Determination team meetings.
• To build and maintainrelationships with StARS psychosocial and education staff.
• To attend an initial intensive two-week training program.

Communication and Reporting

• To communicate regularly with theRefugee Status Determination Coordinator and Refugee Status Determination Senior Legal Officers, reporting on all major issues and developments in the field and within the Refugee Legal Aid Program.
• To submit activity reports as requested.
• To promote information sharing within the Refugee Legal Aid Program and StARS on all issues affecting the populations we serve.

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will be energetic, articulate, and comfortable interacting with diverse segments of society.She or he will have demonstrated a firm commitment to human rights and refugee issues.

Essential Qualifications

• English being the official languageof UNHCR Cairo and StARS,Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisors must be fluentin oral and written English.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Well organized, self-motivated, and reliable.
• Willingness to commit to a minimumservice period of six months.
• Commitment to and sensitivity towardvulnerable or displacedpeople.
• Ability to live and work in a fluid security environment.
• Ability to work in a team as well as individually.
• A positive attitude and sensitive manner in advocating for clients who are survivors of violence, trafficking, torture, and Sexual Gender Based Violence.

Desirable Characteristics

• Fluency or working knowledge of Arabic or a refugee language is an advantage.
• Knowledge of UNHCR guidelines and procedures.
• Knowledge of the general protection situation and vulnerabilities of refugees in Egypt.
• Knowledge of the general situationof the countries from which StARS clientsoriginate.
• Life and work experience in Africa, the Middle East or Egypt.

Working Hours: The Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisor is expected to be at work for 40 hours per week, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, from Sunday to Thursday. Longer hours, evening and weekend work are sometimes necessary. Work will be conducted both in StARS premises and also in refugee communities and centers.

Reporting to: Refugee Status Determination Coordinator

This position is subject to a three-month probationary period, at which time the employee’s performance will be reviewed and probation may be extended.

Closing date for applications: 13 April 2025

Anticipated Starting date: Mid-June 2025

To apply: Please send your Cover Letter and CV and brief legal writing sample for RLAD to applications@stars-egypt.org using the subject line “Refugee Status Determination Volunteer Legal Advisor”. All applications should provide contact information for two professional/academic reference (referees will only be contacted after interviews).

The cover letter should address your qualifications for the internship and why you are interested in working with the Refugee Legal Aid Program. It should also outline any time commitments you will have outside the office during to period of the internship (whether you are seeking to volunteer part-time of full-time) and for what time period you are available to volunteer.

Note: Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for an interview.