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:
- Eligible to work under U.S. immigration laws. PMFs must possess
U.S. citizenship by the conclusion of the two-year fellowship,
and
- 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 cannnot extend 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
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, student
visas, and U.S. citizenship, including non-U.S. citizen
students and visa holders, go to the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' website
at www.uscis.gov 
.
There, non-U.S. citizens can learn about eligibility and how to
pursue U.S. citizenship or authorization to work in the U.S.
Additional information can be found on the USAJOBS website under
the topic of
Employment of Non-citizens.
UPDATED: 11-15-12