J-1 Visa Social Work Jobs
Social work positions in the United States are available to qualified international professionals through J-1 visa sponsorship under the Trainee or Specialist program categories. Host organizations across public agencies, nonprofits, and healthcare systems partner with State Department-designated sponsors to issue the DS-2019 and support your exchange placement.
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145 PHP Adult
Scheduled Weekly Hours
16
Work Shift
First Shift (United States of America)
Shift & Status
Internship start dates include May 2026 and August 2026.
Who Are We?
We at Pine Rest believe in the power of healing and that everyone in our community has the right to expert care for mental health and substance use disorders. We are much more than just the third largest non-profit behavioral health system in the country, our 220-acre main campus, and our network of clinical sites across Michigan. We are a tight-knit community of healers who witness the impact of our life-changing work each day.
Each day, we are closing the gaps in access to care. We are innovating through leading-edge research, testing, programs, and treatment modalities that others replicate across the country. Our services include a state-of-the-art psychiatric urgent care center and a soon-to-be-built pediatric behavioral health center, outpatient, inpatient, partial hospitalization (day programs), assessment and testing, residential, addiction treatment and specialty services such as crisis response, employee assistance programs, forensic psychiatry and psychology, and neuromodulation. On-the-job educational programs for nurses, psychologists, advanced practice providers, psychiatrists, and chaplains are equipping the next generation of care providers.
We are passionate about serving and are honored to be a part of this incredible work.
What Will you Do?
As an Intern at Pine Rest, you’ll be part of tight-knit team that believes in the healing power of your expertise and compassion. The Intern - Master’s Level Social Worker will have shared responsibility and accountability with the Internship Supervisor and designate leaders for a group of patients/clients and directs care to these patients/clients via the development of the treatment approach including specific discipline interventions. They will ensure that the appropriate level of care is determined and confer with the family referral source as to the status of the patient throughout treatment. Intern - Master’s Level Social Worker must demonstrate excellent customer service and have enthusiasm about the program and the Pine Rest organization.
Our Interns are driven to make an impact in the lives of those we serve and are motivated by the healing they witness first-hand each day. They are dedicated to excellent customer service, enthusiastic about the care we offer, and foster a sense of belonging and empowerment in a diverse workplace.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
- Assesses and prioritizes patient/client treatment needs including discharge needs.
- Implements plan of care and collaborates with the clinical team to assure a uniform plan of care.
- Provides individual, group, and family therapy or interventions; psychosocial assessment, including assessment of co-occurring disorders.
- Provides input to the interdisciplinary treatment plan, functioning as a team member.
- Establishes therapeutic relationship with assigned patients/clients including engaging, deescalating, screening, and managing crises.
- Serves as a liaison between community resources, family, patient/client, and hospital- or clinic-based providers of care.
- Assures appropriate length of stay based on continual reassessment of patient’s/client’s progress towards goals.
- Responsible to monitor for and report to the manager, attending physician, or appropriate team leader any potential risk to patient safety that could lead to an adverse outcome.
- Responsible to document and report all necessary information according to established policies and procedures.
- Utilizes processes to conserve financial resources.
- Creates a customer/client friendly environment by following quality improvement standards, maintaining professionalism, initiating and maintaining positive relationships with departments, co-workers and external customers.
- Works in various clinical settings with diverse patient/client populations with complex needs.
- Commitment to demonstrating the Hospital and Residential Services Model of Care.
What Does the Role Require?
Education/Experience:
- Currently enrolled in an accredited Master’s Level Social Work program.
Notice:
Pine Rest provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
All new employees are subject to a criminal background check and education verification which may include sending a copy of your high school diploma, GED, or college transcripts.
NOTICE: Successful completion of a drug screen prior to employment is also part of our background process.
Cost Center
145 PHP Adult
Scheduled Weekly Hours
16
Work Shift
First Shift (United States of America)
Shift & Status
Internship start dates include May 2026 and August 2026.
Who Are We?
We at Pine Rest believe in the power of healing and that everyone in our community has the right to expert care for mental health and substance use disorders. We are much more than just the third largest non-profit behavioral health system in the country, our 220-acre main campus, and our network of clinical sites across Michigan. We are a tight-knit community of healers who witness the impact of our life-changing work each day.
Each day, we are closing the gaps in access to care. We are innovating through leading-edge research, testing, programs, and treatment modalities that others replicate across the country. Our services include a state-of-the-art psychiatric urgent care center and a soon-to-be-built pediatric behavioral health center, outpatient, inpatient, partial hospitalization (day programs), assessment and testing, residential, addiction treatment and specialty services such as crisis response, employee assistance programs, forensic psychiatry and psychology, and neuromodulation. On-the-job educational programs for nurses, psychologists, advanced practice providers, psychiatrists, and chaplains are equipping the next generation of care providers.
We are passionate about serving and are honored to be a part of this incredible work.
What Will you Do?
As an Intern at Pine Rest, you’ll be part of tight-knit team that believes in the healing power of your expertise and compassion. The Intern - Master’s Level Social Worker will have shared responsibility and accountability with the Internship Supervisor and designate leaders for a group of patients/clients and directs care to these patients/clients via the development of the treatment approach including specific discipline interventions. They will ensure that the appropriate level of care is determined and confer with the family referral source as to the status of the patient throughout treatment. Intern - Master’s Level Social Worker must demonstrate excellent customer service and have enthusiasm about the program and the Pine Rest organization.
Our Interns are driven to make an impact in the lives of those we serve and are motivated by the healing they witness first-hand each day. They are dedicated to excellent customer service, enthusiastic about the care we offer, and foster a sense of belonging and empowerment in a diverse workplace.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
- Assesses and prioritizes patient/client treatment needs including discharge needs.
- Implements plan of care and collaborates with the clinical team to assure a uniform plan of care.
- Provides individual, group, and family therapy or interventions; psychosocial assessment, including assessment of co-occurring disorders.
- Provides input to the interdisciplinary treatment plan, functioning as a team member.
- Establishes therapeutic relationship with assigned patients/clients including engaging, deescalating, screening, and managing crises.
- Serves as a liaison between community resources, family, patient/client, and hospital- or clinic-based providers of care.
- Assures appropriate length of stay based on continual reassessment of patient’s/client’s progress towards goals.
- Responsible to monitor for and report to the manager, attending physician, or appropriate team leader any potential risk to patient safety that could lead to an adverse outcome.
- Responsible to document and report all necessary information according to established policies and procedures.
- Utilizes processes to conserve financial resources.
- Creates a customer/client friendly environment by following quality improvement standards, maintaining professionalism, initiating and maintaining positive relationships with departments, co-workers and external customers.
- Works in various clinical settings with diverse patient/client populations with complex needs.
- Commitment to demonstrating the Hospital and Residential Services Model of Care.
What Does the Role Require?
Education/Experience:
- Currently enrolled in an accredited Master’s Level Social Work program.
Notice:
Pine Rest provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
All new employees are subject to a criminal background check and education verification which may include sending a copy of your high school diploma, GED, or college transcripts.
NOTICE: Successful completion of a drug screen prior to employment is also part of our background process.
See all 67+ J-1 Visa Social Work Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new J-1 Visa Social Work Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship in Social Work
Align your credentials with U.S. licensure expectations
State licensing boards often require a master's degree in social work for clinical roles. Get your foreign degree evaluated by a NACES-accredited credential evaluator before you apply, so host employers can confirm your educational equivalency upfront.
Target host employers with active exchange visitor programs
Hospitals, county human services departments, and refugee resettlement agencies regularly host J-1 visa Trainees or Specialists. Search Migrate Mate to filter Social Work roles by employers that have supported exchange visitors in these program categories.
Clarify the two-year home residency requirement early
Social work exchange visitors sponsored under government-funded programs or by certain countries may face a two-year home residency requirement before changing to most other visa statuses. Confirm your eligibility with your designated sponsor before accepting a host offer.
Build a training plan that satisfies DOL program goals
Your designated sponsor will require a structured Training or Exchange Visitor Program plan. Document specific clinical or community practice objectives, supervision arrangements, and weekly activity breakdowns so the plan meets DOL's substantive exchange requirements for the Trainee or Specialist category.
Verify your host employer's supervision capacity
J-1 Trainee and Specialist programs require the host to designate a qualified supervisor throughout your placement. Confirm before signing any offer that a licensed social worker or department manager is formally assigned and that the host has signed a training plan agreement with your designated sponsor.
Understand program duration limits before negotiating your offer
J-1 Trainee placements are capped at 18 months; Specialist placements allow up to five years. If the host role requires longer engagement, discuss extension eligibility with your designated sponsor before finalizing your contract to avoid a gap in authorized status.
Social Work J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category applies to social work roles?
It depends on your career stage. Current students completing a field placement abroad typically qualify for the Intern category. Post-degree professionals gaining supervised clinical or community practice experience use the Trainee category, capped at 18 months. Experienced practitioners invited to share expertise at a U.S. institution may qualify as a Specialist. Your designated sponsor confirms the correct category based on your qualifications and the host's program structure.
Who actually sponsors the J-1 visa for a social work position?
The visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, not the hiring employer. The designated sponsor issues your DS-2019, monitors your program compliance, and serves as your point of contact with the State Department. Common designated sponsors for Trainee and Specialist programs include Cultural Vistas and AIPT. The employer where you perform your work is the host organization, not the legal sponsor.
How do I find U.S. employers that support J-1 social work placements?
Most job boards don't filter by exchange visitor program compatibility. Migrate Mate lets you search Social Work roles specifically by employers that have supported J-1 exchange visitors, saving you the time of qualifying each employer individually. Once you identify a host, they coordinate the DS-2019 and training plan directly with your designated sponsor.
Does the two-year home residency requirement affect social work J-1 holders?
It can. The two-year home country physical presence requirement applies when your program is government-funded, when your country of nationality or last residence appears on the Exchange Visitor Skills List, or when your J-1 is in certain government-designated categories. If you're planning to transition to an H-1B visa or green card after your exchange, confirm your residency requirement status with your designated sponsor before you start your placement.
Can a social work host employer extend my J-1 placement?
Extensions are possible within program category limits. Trainee placements are capped at 18 months total, including any extensions. Specialist placements can extend up to five years. The host employer requests the extension through your designated sponsor, who must verify that the extended program still meets substantive exchange objectives. Requests should be submitted well before your DS-2019 end date to avoid a lapse in authorized status.