How to Become an Immigration Social Worker in Texas

Though migration is a crucial part of the United States’ history, the present-day experience of immigrating to the U.S. can be brutally difficult for those who seek better lives for themselves and their families. Even for those who fight hard to make their way into this country, overcoming the many obstacles of the immigration system – as well as the day-to-day difficulties of supporting oneself without holding citizenship – can be another painfully arduous process.

It’s more difficult than ever for immigrants and refugees to be awarded citizenship in the U.S., leaving many in extraordinarily challenging situations, often without any formal guidance or support.

This is where immigration social workers step in, helping individuals and families navigate the complex bureaucracy of the U.S. immigration system as well as providing them with the resources needed to support their needs, such as food and housing, education, employment opportunities, and more. They can also provide counseling and therapy for those who are going through the immigration system, helping them process the painful emotions of leaving their home country and the struggle of rebuilding life in a new and unfamiliar place.

It’s no secret that immigration is a divisive and highly politicized issue within the U.S. today, especially in the border state of Texas. But those who have compassion for the experiences of the human beings who wish to escape difficult or unsafe situations and improve their lives can make a meaningful difference as immigration social workers, providing empathy and practical support for those who need it most.

So what does the career path of an immigration and refugee social worker involve, and how can prospective social workers enter this important workforce? Read on to learn everything you need to know about what it means to practice social work with immigrants and refugees.

A Snapshot of Immigration in the U.S. Today

In order to understand the importance of immigration social work, it’s important to have an accurate sense of the current state of immigration in the United States. After all, every migrant’s experience is different, but a bird’s-eye view of the situation can help compassionate Americans understand the scope of this issue and the reality of life on the ground as an immigrant or refugee to this country.

To start, it’s helpful to know the hard numbers behind migration in the U.S. There are 43 million immigrants living in the U.S. today, according to a 2023 microdata sample by the U.S. Census Bureau (synthesized by KFF). Of these, 19 million are noncitizens. This is a substantial number greatly outranking the size of even the U.S.’s biggest cities by more than double. However, immigrant communities are generally dispersed throughout all American states, meaning their individual concerns can vary greatly depending on where they are and where they come from.

It’s important to note that noncitizenship can mean a variety of things. In the United States, it is possible to lawfully live in the country without holding citizenship through permanent resident (green card) status and temporary visas. Those who have been officially recognized as refugees or asylum seekers can also secure protections that allow them to remain at least temporarily in the U.S. after fleeing their home countries. There are also many undocumented immigrants, many of them minors, who are considered unlawful residents of the U.S. and face many insurmountable obstacles to deepening their roots in the United States.

Immigrants in the U.S. are not a monolithic bloc with a single set of interests. Rather, they are composed of diverse populations reflecting a range of backgrounds and skills and in turn, a variety of needs once they are living here.

Many argue that despite their contentious status, immigrants play a vital role in the U.S. economy. According to a report by the American Immigration Council, one in six U.S. workers is an immigrant, holding jobs in all the top industries in the country, including health care, manufacturing, food services, construction, and retail. This illustrates how indispensable immigrants are to the United States workforce.

The Immigrant and Refugee Experience in the U.S.

As mentioned above, the immigrant population of the United States is incredibly diverse, meaning one cannot speak about their concerns as a singular shared experience. However, there are a few key issues faced by many immigrant communities that have become the focus of social workers who serve these populations. These issues include:

Every individual and family who has migrated will face concerns that are unique to their experiences, but many of the obstacles listed above are baked into the American immigration system. This is why immigration services tend to focus on these causes, providing support tailored to the particular needs of the individuals they are working with.

Immigrant & Refugee Social Worker Job Description

Social work and immigration have been connected for much of the history of the social work profession. This is because many existing social services aim to support people who are struggling with the types of hardships outlined in the section above. Nevertheless, immigrants’ issues tend to centrally involve the complex and confusing path to citizenship, creating a set of concerns (and accompanying remedial tactics) that differ considerably from those of U.S. citizens who struggle with the same issues.

Immigration social work is its own category of social service, though there are many disparate causes that professionals in the field work to address.

As an incoming immigration social worker, you will have a variety of roles and services to choose from as you refine your specific career goals. Take a look at the following immigration social worker responsibilities to learn about the different paths available to you.

Resource Coordination and Support

In order to build a life for oneself in a new place, one must have access to several essential resources: food, housing, a source of income, and in many cases, an education. Many immigration and refugee social work jobs are directly involved in coordinating these resources for their clients, oftentimes acting as case managers who assess each individual or family’s needs and act as intermediaries between the various social work agencies that can help provide for each one.

By supporting struggling people to secure these basic resources, you’ll be playing an instrumental role in helping them build a proper foundation from which they can begin to provide for themselves and their families. This is an invaluable service that can be nothing short of life-changing for people who are in dire need of hands-on practical support.

Emotional Counseling

For many migrants, the experience of moving to the United States is alienating and overwhelming, no matter what their age or nationality of origin is. For refugees and asylum-seekers, this is often compounded by the trauma of fleeing an unsafe place. Social workers who hold Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credentials are authorized to provide direct counseling and therapeutic services to these individuals, helping them address their emotional and psychological needs so they can move forward with strong mental health.

Legal Support

Another crucial arena in which immigrant and refugee social workers play an important role is in providing legal support for migrants. Our byzantine immigration system is daunting even to those who are well-resourced, and for underserved communities it can feel nothing short of insurmountable. Social workers can help individuals and families in need understand the legal procedures they face and connect them with lawyers and other legal experts who can help support them through intricate processes that might otherwise be difficult or intimidating to approach alone.

Social workers can also help immigrant communities attend to their own legal needs through community education initiatives, providing tools of empowerment that are designed to raise awareness about the legal process and other concerns related to citizenship status. These can take the form of public workshops, free pamphlets and instructional readers, and community events providing advice and information for disadvantaged populations.

How Social Work and Immigration Policy Go Hand in Hand

Beyond the roles listed above, social workers who are interested in working at the macro level of immigrant and refugee causes can play an invaluable role as policy advocates, championing change at the local, state, or even federal levels. By providing hard-won insights formed from longtime experience on the ground working with immigrant and refugee communities, social workers can speak to the human dimension of these causes with an eye toward practical concerns that policy can meaningfully address.

For those who have served as social workers working with immigrants and refugees for a long time, this type of advocacy work can provide a refreshing change of pace as well as a way to put your years of experience to use on a grand scale. Indeed, from the exceptional work you have invested in improving the lives of individuals and families can come further efforts to improve the experiences of others, making our country a more welcoming place for all to call home.

Immigration Social Work Jobs

There’s no one refugee and immigration social work job description, as the duties of such professionals can vary greatly depending on where they work and the primary communities they help. This should come as good news to prospective immigration social workers, who have more options to choose from in plotting their future career path.

In many cases, an immigration and refugee social work job description will focus on one particular facet of the migrant experience.

Immigration and refugee social workers can be employed in a range of institutions and organizations, including but not limited to the following:

Some of these employers alone indicate what a social worker might focus on by virtue of what they do: for instance, those who are employed in medical organizations are likely to help migrants with their healthcare concerns, while those in schools may focus on migrant minors or those seeking remedial education opportunities.

The top job titles for social workers can be similarly illustrative. They include:

As you can see, these roles are typically concerned with one particular area of focus, allowing social workers to refine their knowledge of the procedures and protocols for handling each of these delicate situations. In each of these roles you will build extensive expertise, gaining the ability to perform impactful work that is truly of use to those who can benefit from your assistance.

Immigration Social Work Salary

It can be difficult to ascertain the exact salary data for immigration social workers in Texas, since they are employed by organizations that span the different categories measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, one can look to the BLS’ data for each industry subfield to gain an approximate sense of social worker for immigrant and refugee salary ranges.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the following mean annual salaries for social work professionals in Texas by industry:

This information can help aspiring immigration social workers zero in on the exact type of service they’d like to pursue in their professional efforts. It’s also worth noting that as you gain field experience, you will become more and more qualified for senior-level positions within social work organizations, which are more likely to pay you salaries above the industry average. This gives social workers additional motivation to commit to their careers and build up their expertise over time.

All data taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2022 report, accessed March 2024.

Taking the next steps to becoming an immigration and refugee social worker

Are you ready to hit the ground running to make a difference in the lives of those in need? Your first step will be receiving your Master of Social Work degree, without which you will not be eligible to obtain your Texas state social work license.

FAQs

What degree do I need to become a refugee and immigration social worker?

All social workers in the state of Texas must obtain a Master of Social Work degree from an accredited institution to qualify for state licensing. For more information on licensure, see the question below.

What level of social work license do I need to work with migrants and refugees?

The social work license you need to practice in Texas will depend on the type of work you wish to perform. Those who intend to perform counseling or therapy are required to hold Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) certification. All other roles require a Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) credential. For more information on social work license types and requirements, visit our guide here.

Is Texas a good place to become an immigration social worker?

Yes. Since Texas is a border state, it is known as one of the largest hubs of immigration in the United States. This means that those who wish to assist individuals and families who have just migrated to this country can find numerous opportunities to help and uplift those in need.

Do MSW programs offer concentrations in immigration?

Some do, but it is not necessarily a concentration you will find at every school. That said, because immigration is such a defining issue in Texas, you can rest assured that Texas-based MSW programs will focus a good deal of attention on causes related to supporting refugees and migrants.