Green Card Mental Health Associate Jobs
Mental Health Associate jobs with green card sponsorship are available through employers willing to file PERM labor certification, then sponsor an I-140 petition under EB-2 or EB-3. Behavioral health clinics, hospital systems, and community mental health centers regularly sponsor foreign professionals for these roles, leading to lawful permanent residency.
Find Green Card Mental Health Associate JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 23+ Mental Health Associate jobs










See all Mental Health Associate Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Mental Health Associate roles.
Get Access To All Jobs
Are you a current UMass Memorial Health caregiver? Apply now through Workday.
Exemption Status:
Non-Exempt
Hiring Range:
$20.60 - $28.59
(based on a full time schedule of 40 hours per week).
Please note that the final offer will vary based on scheduled hours. Compensation for part-time or reduced schedules will be prorated based on scheduled weekly hours, experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity considerations.
Schedule Details:
Holidays - Every Other Holiday, Weekends - Every Other Weekend
Scheduled Hours:
0700-1530
Shift:
1 - Day Shift, 8 Hours (United States of America)
Hours:
40
Cost Center:
10020 - 0600 8 East
Union:
SHARE (State Healthcare and Research Employees)
This position may have a signing bonus available; a member of the Recruitment Team will confirm eligibility during the interview process.
Everyone Is a Caregiver
At UMass Memorial Health, everyone is a caregiver – regardless of their title or responsibilities. Exceptional patient care, academic excellence and leading-edge research make UMass Memorial the premier health system of Central Massachusetts, and a place where we can help you build the career you deserve. We are more than 20,000 employees, working together as one health system in a relentless pursuit of healing for our patients, community and each other. And everyone, in their own unique way, plays an important part, every day.
Major Responsibilities:
-
Serves as a member of the Mental Health Team and serves both internal and external customers including patients, families, nurses, physicians and other colleagues who support the delivery of care and services.
-
Provides clear, timely communication to the Registered Nurse (R.N.) regarding observations and changes seen in the patient. Records behavioral data on appropriate data sheets.
-
Maintains patient safety by performing patient safety checks, environmental safety rounds, utilizing fall prevention alternative devices/strategies as directed utilizing de-escalation and calming tools and strategies with anxious patients and following the Restraint Policy standards when caring for a restrained patient.
-
Participates and shares responsibility for the development and maintenance of a safe and therapeutic environment.
-
Serves as a leader or co-leader for group activities such as goal setting group, dual diagnosis groups, various activity groups, and structuring and supervising recreational activities. Handles routine situations and must request assistance from identified resources when more direction is needed.
-
Assists in medical emergencies as directed by R.N. Utilizes proper safety techniques and body mechanic in all work-related activities.
-
Obtains and records vital signs (temperature, pulse, and respiration, blood pressure and pulse oxymetry). Measures and records patients’ height and weight as assigned by R.N.
-
Performs a variety of test and procedures which may include but not limited to EKGs, phlebotomy, and intake and output as assigned by R.N.
-
Documents daily progress notes, and group notes (per policy) and as assigned by R.N.
-
Assists the R.N. in other medical and psychiatric interventions as directed.
-
Provides personal care as appropriate, working to optimize patient’s independent functioning in performance of daily routines.
-
Works to utilize interventions to de-escalate patients and if unsuccessful participates in restraints in accordance with training and education as directed.
-
Performs safety checks on patients and unit as directed. Documents findings.
-
Reviews and follows treatment plan with patient. Provides feedback to clinical team regarding implementation of the plan. Implements special treatment strategies as indicated in the plan.
-
Maintains logs, organizes patient care charts for admission/discharge/transfer and maintains medical records as instructed.
-
Attends staff meetings and in-service programs as required or directed. Keeps current with hospital and unit changes by reading communication boards and/or books, emails, bulletin boards, posted notices and reads and responds to UMMHC emails on a regular basis.
Standard Staffing Level Responsibilities:
-
Complies with established departmental policies, procedures and objectives.
-
Attends variety of meetings, conferences, seminars as required or directed.
-
Demonstrates use of Quality Improvement in daily operations.
-
Complies with all health and safety regulations and requirements.
-
Respects diverse views and approaches, demonstrates Standards of Respect, and contributes to creating and maintaining an environment of professionalism, tolerance, civility and acceptance toward all employees, patients and visitors.
-
Maintains regular, reliable, and predictable attendance.
-
Performs other similar and related duties as required or directed.
All responsibilities are essential job functions.
Position Qualifications:
License/Certification/Education:
Required:
-
High school diploma or equivalent.
-
Current Basic Life Support or Heart Saver certification required within one month as a condition of employment.
Preferred:
-
Associates Degree
-
Medical terminology and computer skills
Experience/Skills:
Required:
-
One year of relevant patient support experience.
-
Ability to read, write and communicate in English in a clear and concise manner.
-
Must have effective interpersonal skills to provide respectful, culturally and age appropriate communication with patients, staff, visitors and others.
-
Must demonstrate effective problem-solving abilities for routine situations.
-
Must have ability to read, write and communicate in English in a clear and concise manner.
Unless certification, licensure or registration is required, an equivalent combination of education and experience which provides proficiency in the areas of responsibility listed in this description may be substituted for the above requirements.
Department-specific competencies and their measurements will be developed and maintained in the individual departments. The competencies will be maintained and attached to the departmental job description. Responsible managers will review competencies with position incumbents.
Physical Demands and Environmental Conditions:
Work is considered sedentary. Position requires work indoors in a normal patient care environment.
This is a full-time day float MHA post.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
We’re striving to make respect a part of everything we do at UMass Memorial Health – for our patients, our community and each other. Our six Standards of Respect are: Acknowledge, Listen, Communicate, Be Responsive, Be a Team Player and Be Kind. If you share these Standards of Respect, we hope you will join our team and help us make respect our standard for everyone, every day.
As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, UMass Memorial Health recognizes the power of a diverse community and encourages applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives and backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.
If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at talentacquisition@umassmemorial.org. We will make every effort to respond to your request for disability assistance as soon as possible.
See all Green Card Mental Health Associate Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Green Card Mental Health Associate Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Green Card Sponsorship as a Mental Health Associate
Verify your degree meets EB-2 requirements
EB-2 requires a master's degree or a bachelor's plus five years of progressive experience in a directly related field. Pull your transcripts and document clinical hours now, before employers request them during PERM recruitment.
Search employers using Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to find mental health employers with verified green card sponsorship history by city and role. This cuts out guesswork on which behavioral health organizations have actually filed PERM labor certifications for similar positions.
Target community mental health centers strategically
Federally Qualified Health Centers and state-funded community mental health centers often sponsor foreign workers because local hiring pools are thin. These employers are familiar with PERM timelines and are more likely to initiate sponsorship during the offer stage.
Negotiate sponsorship commitment before accepting an offer
Get the employer's intent to file PERM in writing before you sign an offer letter. Confirm they'll cover the prevailing wage determination step with DOL and that the sponsored role matches your actual job duties, not a generic title.
Check your priority date against the USCIS Visa Bulletin
If you're from India or China, per-country limits can create significant backlogs after I-140 approval. Review the monthly USCIS Visa Bulletin to understand when your priority date becomes current before expecting to file I-485 or begin consular processing.
Use O*NET to align your job duties with PERM filings
PERM labor certification requires the job description to match the offered position precisely. Cross-reference O*NET's Mental Health Associate occupation profile to ensure your duties, required education, and experience align with what DOL expects during the prevailing wage and recruitment audit.
Green Card Mental Health Associate: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Mental Health Associate roles qualify for EB-2 or EB-3 green card sponsorship?
Yes. Mental Health Associate positions can qualify under EB-3 when they require at least a bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, or a related field, or under EB-2 when the role requires a master's degree or a bachelor's degree plus five years of progressive clinical experience. The employer documents the minimum requirements during the PERM labor certification process with DOL.
How is green card sponsorship different from H-1B sponsorship for this role?
Green card sponsorship leads to lawful permanent residency, not a temporary status. The process starts with PERM labor certification, where your employer must conduct a formal recruitment test, obtain a prevailing wage determination from DOL, and demonstrate no qualified U.S. workers are available. After PERM is certified, the employer files an I-140 petition with USCIS. Unlike the H-1B visa, there is no lottery, but per-country numerical limits can create priority date backlogs for certain nationalities.
How do I find Mental Health Associate employers who sponsor green cards?
Migrate Mate lists U.S. employers with verified green card sponsorship history, searchable by role and location. This is more reliable than filtering general job boards, where sponsorship willingness is rarely confirmed. Focus your outreach on hospital systems, behavioral health networks, and community mental health centers, which have established relationships with immigration counsel and predictable PERM filing processes.
What happens to my green card sponsorship if I change employers during the process?
If your I-485 adjustment of status application has been pending for 180 days or more, AC21 job portability allows you to change to a new employer in the same or a similar occupation without losing your place in line. Your priority date from an approved I-140 can also carry over to a new employer's I-140 petition, so you don't restart the clock entirely. Consult an immigration attorney before making any employer change mid-process.
Does my employer need to pay the full prevailing wage during the PERM process?
DOL requires that the offered wage meet or exceed the prevailing wage for the Mental Health Associate role in your specific geographic area. The employer obtains this wage determination through the OFLC Wage Search tool before filing PERM. You must be paid at least the prevailing wage by the time you become a permanent resident, and many employers align your salary to that rate from the offer stage.