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An Official Web Site of the United States Government
Thursday, May 17, 2012

Become a PMF

Eligibility

Citizenship

Opportunities for Federal employment for non-United States citizens through the PMF Program are extremely rare. By law, most Federal Agencies are prohibited from paying anyone who is not a U.S. citizen for positions in the continental United States. There are certain exemptions to this restriction. A non-citizen may be eligible for employment if the individual is:

  1. Eligible to work under U.S. immigration laws. PMFs must possess U.S. citizenship by the conclusion of the two-year fellowship, and
  2. Eligible for and pursuing U.S. citizenship or appointed by a Federal agency permitted by that agency's appropriation act or agency-specific statutes to hire and pay non-citizens.

If a non-U.S. citizen is appointed as a PMF by a Federal Agency and does not possess full U.S. citizenship by the conclusion of the two-year PMF fellowship, by Executive order, the non-U.S. citizen Fellow cannot be converted to permanent career or career-conditional employment. The employing agency is under no obligation to retain a Fellow who is not eligible for conversion upon completion of the PMF fellowship. The appointment will expire and the PMF will be separated from Government service. The PMF Program Office will not grant extensions or deferrals to a PMF's fellowship to meet citizenship requirements for conversion.

Non-U.S. citizen applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and wish to apply to the PMF Program must contact the PMF Program Office, via an email to pmfapplication@opm.gov , to request a temporary 9-digit number to use for the Social Security Number field used during the application and nomination process; if not already in possession of a Social Security Number. This number will serve throughout the process as a unique identifier.  NOTE:  This is only applicable during the application cycle.

If a non-U.S. citizen Finalist obtains U.S. citizenship and a permanent Social Security Number, supporting documentation must be provided to the PMF Program Office to update our records.

For information on U.S. immigration laws and U.S. citizenship, go to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' website at www.uscis.gov External Link Icon . There, non-U.S. citizens can learn about eligibility and how to pursue U.S. citizenship or authorization to work in the U.S.

UPDATED: 03-08-2012, 7:15 AM (ET)