Sanctuary for Families Visa Sponsorship Jobs USA
Sanctuary for Families is a leading New York-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking. The organization sponsors H-1B visas for specialized roles, making it a meaningful option for mission-driven professionals in social services seeking U.S. work authorization.
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Sanctuary for Families is New York’s leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking and related forms of gender violence. Every year, Sanctuary empowers thousands of adults and children to move from fear and abuse to safety and stability, transforming lives through a comprehensive range of services. We provide a range of wrap-around services to help survivors rebuild their lives in the aftermath of abuse, and work to end gender violence through three key strategies: direct services, outreach and training, and systems-change advocacy. Our services are available in 12 locations throughout New York City.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Senior Program Director of the Immigration Intervention Project (IIP) leads Sanctuary for Families’ highly regarded immigration legal services and immigration policy/legislative advocacy program, the largest within Sanctuary for Families’ renowned legal center, CBWLS (previously Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services). This high-level position involves the oversight and high-level supervision of a team of 26 attorneys and support staff, and partners with law firm pro bono programs, law students, and other volunteers who provide high-quality representation to several hundred immigrant survivors of gender violence each year.
The Senior Program Director of IIP leads Sanctuary’s efforts to protect and advance the rights of immigrant survivors through strategic representation and innovative, systems-change advocacy. Through public speaking, training, writing, and mentoring, the Senior Program Director educates law firms, social service and public interest legal providers, law enforcement, community partners, courts, and federal, state, and officials about the needs and rights of immigrant survivors of gender violence.
Responsibilities
- Lead the practice: Oversee all aspects of IIP’s immigration legal practice, including supervision of staff, interns, and volunteers.
- Set direction: Partner with Sanctuary for Families’ Chief Executive Officer and Chief Program Officer and the Legal Center Senior Director and Senior Deputy Director to shape and deliver IIP strategy, goals, and priorities.
- Strengthen staff expertise, collaboration, and morale: Foster professional development, mentorship, commitment, and strong team culture across IIP.
- Recruit and retain talent: Support recruitment, on-boarding, and retention of IIP staff; ensure clear roles, strong supervision, and consistent professional development opportunities.
- Manage a high-impact caseload: Direct IIP’s immigration caseload and ensure excellent, trauma-informed representation.
- Build quality systems: Maintain and improve structures for case review, data compliance, supervision, and quality assurance to promote consistent, timely, high-quality legal service provision.
- Supervise complex matters: Represent—and/or oversee the representation of—immigrant survivors of gender violence before federal administrative bodies and in state, federal district and appellate courts.
- Ensure ethics and confidentiality: Uphold professional responsibility standards and best practices for nonprofit legal services, including client confidentiality, ethical supervision, and escalation of complex risk issues.
- Strengthen pro bono impact: Lead recruitment, training, and mentoring of pro bono attorneys, law students, and volunteers; steward law firm relationships in partnership with the Legal Center’s Pro Bono Director.
- Launch and operationalize initiatives: Develop and implement specialized initiatives in response to client need that advance Sanctuary for Families’ mission on behalf of immigrant survivors.
- Strengthen intake, consultations, and referrals: Oversee and continuously improve intake, screening, and referral pathways so clients’ needs are identified, they are provided with useful and accurate advice, and they are routed to the right level of service and support.
- Advise leadership: Educate and inform organizational leadership informed about key developments in immigration law and policy affecting Sanctuary clients.
- Track trends and guide program response: Monitor developments in immigration law, policy, and enforcement trends; translate changes into practical guidance, risk mitigation, and programmatic strategy.
- Engage governance: Present on IIP’s work to the Board of Directors, Legal Advisory Committee, Pro Bono Committee, Board and Staff Advocacy Committees, and other relevant organizational entities.
- Represent Sanctuary externally: Participate in community events; Bar and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) events; immigrant-rights coalitions; committees/task forces; and government hearings.
- Provide technical assistance: Offer immigration legal technical assistance through local and national listservs and to partner organizations.
- Improve systems’ response: Collaborate with national, state, and local organizations and legislative and judicial entities to strengthen systemic responses to immigrant survivors of gender violence and protect survivors’ rights.
- Train and educate stakeholders: Educate the public, law enforcement, social service providers, and elected officials on issues affecting immigrant survivors.
- Advance policy: Lobby city, state, and federal bodies on policies, practices, and legislation that advance the rights and interests of immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
- Support funding and grants: Partner with Sanctuary’s Development/Communications and Finance Departments with Legal Center leadership to develop funding strategies, conceptualize new projects, review grant proposals, and oversee grant implementation, deliverables, and reporting.
- Collaborate across the organization: Partner with Sanctuary’s communications, outreach/community engagement, operations, and social services divisions to align legal programming with community needs and organizational priorities.
- Ensure compliance with data entry: support IIP staff in complying with their data entry obligations so that IIP supervisors, team members, Sanctuary leaders, donors, institutional funders, and stakeholders have necessary information about IIP’s clients and service provision.
- Use data to improve impact: Oversee systems for data collection and program evaluation to support continuous improvement and demonstrate outcomes.
- Other duties as needed: Support special projects and additional responsibilities that further Legal Center and organizational priorities.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Admission to practice law in New York State
- Experience practicing before USCIS, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
- Minimum 10 years of experience practicing immigration law, including experience with humanitarian relief (such as asylum, U visas, T visas, VAWA, SIJS, and asylum), family-based immigration, and removal proceedings
- Excellent judgment; strong research, writing, and analytical skills
- Excellent communication and public speaking skills
- Demonstrated leadership and people-management skills; ability to motivate, support, and develop staff
- Ability to work independently and under pressure
- Commitment to Sanctuary’s holistic service model, feminist and anti-racist mission, and efforts to combat all forms of gender violence and inequality
- Ability to work effectively with people of diverse national, ethnic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience supervising and mentoring attorneys and multidisciplinary teams in a high-volume practice
- Federal litigation and appellate experience, including oversight of complex matters
- Demonstrated immigration policy/legislative advocacy experience (city, state, and/or federal)
- Experience building and managing pro bono or volunteer attorney programs
- Grant writing and/or grant management experience in a legal services or nonprofit setting
- Strong coalition-building and external-relations experience with community partners and government stakeholders
- Experience working with survivors of gender violence and/or in trauma-informed, client-centered legal services
- Multilingual skills relevant to the communities served (preferred but not required)
Budgeted Salary: $140,000 - $155,000 per year
Work position is Full-time - Salaried/Exempt
Work schedule is currently Hybrid; must be able to meet job location schedule obligation
Benefits:
- Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
- Employer-paid life insurance
- Employer retirement contribution
- Paid time off (Holidays, Vacation, Personal, Sick)
- Generous Leave Policy
- Flexible spending account / Health savings account
- Student loan assistance
- Tuition reimbursement program
- Gym reimbursement program
- Wellness program and rewards
Sanctuary for Families is a welcoming workplace. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, creed (religion), color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, age, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status or domestic violence victim status, and other categories protected under Federal, New York state or New York city laws.
Survivors of gender-based violence are strongly encouraged to apply.
About us
Sanctuary for Families is New York’s leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking and related forms of gender violence. Every year, Sanctuary empowers thousands of adults and children to move from fear and abuse to safety and stability, transforming lives through a comprehensive range of services. We provide a range of wrap-around services to help survivors rebuild their lives in the aftermath of abuse, and work to end gender violence through three key strategies: direct services, outreach and training, and systems-change advocacy. Our services are available in 12 locations throughout New York City.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Senior Program Director of the Immigration Intervention Project (IIP) leads Sanctuary for Families’ highly regarded immigration legal services and immigration policy/legislative advocacy program, the largest within Sanctuary for Families’ renowned legal center, CBWLS (previously Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services). This high-level position involves the oversight and high-level supervision of a team of 26 attorneys and support staff, and partners with law firm pro bono programs, law students, and other volunteers who provide high-quality representation to several hundred immigrant survivors of gender violence each year.
The Senior Program Director of IIP leads Sanctuary’s efforts to protect and advance the rights of immigrant survivors through strategic representation and innovative, systems-change advocacy. Through public speaking, training, writing, and mentoring, the Senior Program Director educates law firms, social service and public interest legal providers, law enforcement, community partners, courts, and federal, state, and officials about the needs and rights of immigrant survivors of gender violence.
Responsibilities
- Lead the practice: Oversee all aspects of IIP’s immigration legal practice, including supervision of staff, interns, and volunteers.
- Set direction: Partner with Sanctuary for Families’ Chief Executive Officer and Chief Program Officer and the Legal Center Senior Director and Senior Deputy Director to shape and deliver IIP strategy, goals, and priorities.
- Strengthen staff expertise, collaboration, and morale: Foster professional development, mentorship, commitment, and strong team culture across IIP.
- Recruit and retain talent: Support recruitment, on-boarding, and retention of IIP staff; ensure clear roles, strong supervision, and consistent professional development opportunities.
- Manage a high-impact caseload: Direct IIP’s immigration caseload and ensure excellent, trauma-informed representation.
- Build quality systems: Maintain and improve structures for case review, data compliance, supervision, and quality assurance to promote consistent, timely, high-quality legal service provision.
- Supervise complex matters: Represent—and/or oversee the representation of—immigrant survivors of gender violence before federal administrative bodies and in state, federal district and appellate courts.
- Ensure ethics and confidentiality: Uphold professional responsibility standards and best practices for nonprofit legal services, including client confidentiality, ethical supervision, and escalation of complex risk issues.
- Strengthen pro bono impact: Lead recruitment, training, and mentoring of pro bono attorneys, law students, and volunteers; steward law firm relationships in partnership with the Legal Center’s Pro Bono Director.
- Launch and operationalize initiatives: Develop and implement specialized initiatives in response to client need that advance Sanctuary for Families’ mission on behalf of immigrant survivors.
- Strengthen intake, consultations, and referrals: Oversee and continuously improve intake, screening, and referral pathways so clients’ needs are identified, they are provided with useful and accurate advice, and they are routed to the right level of service and support.
- Advise leadership: Educate and inform organizational leadership informed about key developments in immigration law and policy affecting Sanctuary clients.
- Track trends and guide program response: Monitor developments in immigration law, policy, and enforcement trends; translate changes into practical guidance, risk mitigation, and programmatic strategy.
- Engage governance: Present on IIP’s work to the Board of Directors, Legal Advisory Committee, Pro Bono Committee, Board and Staff Advocacy Committees, and other relevant organizational entities.
- Represent Sanctuary externally: Participate in community events; Bar and American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) events; immigrant-rights coalitions; committees/task forces; and government hearings.
- Provide technical assistance: Offer immigration legal technical assistance through local and national listservs and to partner organizations.
- Improve systems’ response: Collaborate with national, state, and local organizations and legislative and judicial entities to strengthen systemic responses to immigrant survivors of gender violence and protect survivors’ rights.
- Train and educate stakeholders: Educate the public, law enforcement, social service providers, and elected officials on issues affecting immigrant survivors.
- Advance policy: Lobby city, state, and federal bodies on policies, practices, and legislation that advance the rights and interests of immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
- Support funding and grants: Partner with Sanctuary’s Development/Communications and Finance Departments with Legal Center leadership to develop funding strategies, conceptualize new projects, review grant proposals, and oversee grant implementation, deliverables, and reporting.
- Collaborate across the organization: Partner with Sanctuary’s communications, outreach/community engagement, operations, and social services divisions to align legal programming with community needs and organizational priorities.
- Ensure compliance with data entry: support IIP staff in complying with their data entry obligations so that IIP supervisors, team members, Sanctuary leaders, donors, institutional funders, and stakeholders have necessary information about IIP’s clients and service provision.
- Use data to improve impact: Oversee systems for data collection and program evaluation to support continuous improvement and demonstrate outcomes.
- Other duties as needed: Support special projects and additional responsibilities that further Legal Center and organizational priorities.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Admission to practice law in New York State
- Experience practicing before USCIS, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
- Minimum 10 years of experience practicing immigration law, including experience with humanitarian relief (such as asylum, U visas, T visas, VAWA, SIJS, and asylum), family-based immigration, and removal proceedings
- Excellent judgment; strong research, writing, and analytical skills
- Excellent communication and public speaking skills
- Demonstrated leadership and people-management skills; ability to motivate, support, and develop staff
- Ability to work independently and under pressure
- Commitment to Sanctuary’s holistic service model, feminist and anti-racist mission, and efforts to combat all forms of gender violence and inequality
- Ability to work effectively with people of diverse national, ethnic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience supervising and mentoring attorneys and multidisciplinary teams in a high-volume practice
- Federal litigation and appellate experience, including oversight of complex matters
- Demonstrated immigration policy/legislative advocacy experience (city, state, and/or federal)
- Experience building and managing pro bono or volunteer attorney programs
- Grant writing and/or grant management experience in a legal services or nonprofit setting
- Strong coalition-building and external-relations experience with community partners and government stakeholders
- Experience working with survivors of gender violence and/or in trauma-informed, client-centered legal services
- Multilingual skills relevant to the communities served (preferred but not required)
Budgeted Salary: $140,000 - $155,000 per year
Work position is Full-time - Salaried/Exempt
Work schedule is currently Hybrid; must be able to meet job location schedule obligation
Benefits:
- Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
- Employer-paid life insurance
- Employer retirement contribution
- Paid time off (Holidays, Vacation, Personal, Sick)
- Generous Leave Policy
- Flexible spending account / Health savings account
- Student loan assistance
- Tuition reimbursement program
- Gym reimbursement program
- Wellness program and rewards
Sanctuary for Families is a welcoming workplace. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, creed (religion), color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, age, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status or domestic violence victim status, and other categories protected under Federal, New York state or New York city laws.
Survivors of gender-based violence are strongly encouraged to apply.
Job Roles at Sanctuary for Families
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Sanctuary for Families Visa Sponsorship Jobs USA
Target roles that require specialized qualifications
Sanctuary for Families sponsors H-1B visas for positions requiring a relevant bachelor's degree or higher. Focus your applications on clinical, legal, policy, or program management roles where specialized credentials are central to the job description.
Align your background with the mission
Nonprofits like Sanctuary for Families prioritize candidates whose experience reflects their work with survivors. Highlighting relevant fieldwork, advocacy, or trauma-informed practice in your application strengthens your case for sponsorship consideration.
Understand H-1B sponsorship in the nonprofit sector
As a nonprofit, Sanctuary for Families may qualify for cap-exempt H-1B filings in certain circumstances. Ask during the interview process whether the organization has worked with immigration counsel, which signals institutional readiness to sponsor.
Apply during annual hiring cycles
Nonprofits in social services often hire around grant renewal periods and fiscal year starts. Timing your outreach to align with these cycles improves your chances of being considered when sponsorship-eligible roles are actively open.
Use Migrate Mate to find verified sponsorship opportunities
Searching broadly wastes time. Migrate Mate surfaces verified sponsors so you can filter by real sponsorship history, helping you identify open roles at organizations like Sanctuary for Families that have a confirmed H-1B track record.
Prepare to address visa sponsorship directly and early
Smaller nonprofits may not have a standardized sponsorship process. Raise your visa requirements early and professionally, and come prepared with a basic explanation of H-1B sponsorship, this reduces friction and signals you've done your homework.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sanctuary for Families sponsor H-1B visas?
Yes, Sanctuary for Families sponsors H-1B visas. The organization has an active sponsorship history in the H-1B category, primarily for specialized roles in social services, legal advocacy, clinical work, and program administration. If you hold a relevant degree and are targeting a qualifying position, H-1B sponsorship is a realistic path to discuss with their hiring team.
What types of roles at Sanctuary for Families are most likely to be sponsored?
Sponsorship at Sanctuary for Families is most common in roles that require specialized education in fields like social work, law, psychology, or public policy. Clinical coordinators, legal advocates, program managers, and policy professionals are among the position types most aligned with H-1B specialty occupation requirements. Roles in general administration or support functions are less likely to qualify for sponsorship.
How do I know if Sanctuary for Families is actively hiring sponsored roles right now?
Sanctuary for Families posts open positions through their website, but not all listings make sponsorship eligibility clear. Migrate Mate filters job openings by verified sponsorship history, so you can quickly identify active roles at Sanctuary for Families where H-1B sponsorship is a confirmed possibility rather than guessing from a generic job posting.
What is the typical H-1B application timeline if I receive an offer from Sanctuary for Families?
Once you have an offer, your employer works with immigration counsel to prepare and file the H-1B petition. For cap-subject cases, filings open in March for an October 1 start date. Nonprofits affiliated with certain research or educational institutions may qualify for cap-exempt filing, which allows year-round submissions and faster processing. Confirm this with Sanctuary for Families during the offer stage.
How do I approach the sponsorship conversation with Sanctuary for Families during the hiring process?
Raise your visa status early, ideally before or during the first interview, so there are no surprises. Frame it simply: explain that you'll need H-1B sponsorship and that you're happy to walk them through what that involves. Smaller nonprofits sometimes lack in-house HR expertise on immigration, so being prepared and calm about the process often makes the difference.