1. U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs) and US Veterans:

The hiring preference is required by Section 301(c) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended. There are two applicant categories that receive preference in hiring:

(A) U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Members (USEFMs):

1. 1. 1. For purposes of receiving a preference in hiring for a qualified position, a USEFM is an individual who meets the following criteria:
         (a) U.S. citizen; and
         (b) The spouse of the sponsoring employee, or a child of the sponsoring employee who is unmarried and at least 18 years old; and
         (c) Listed on the travel orders of a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed services member who is permanently assigned to or stationed abroad at a U.S. mission, or at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; and who is under chief-of-mission authority, and either:

                          (1) Resides at the sponsoring employee’s post of assignment abroad or, as appropriate, at an office of the American Institute in Taiwan; or

                          (2) Resides at an involuntary separate maintenance allowance (ISMA) location authorized under 3 FAM 3232.2. If residing at an ISMA location, the individual will not be listed on the sponsoring officer’s travel orders but will have a Form SF- 1190 processed authorizing ISMA.

         USEFMs are responsible for making sure HR knows that they are an USEFM eligible for an official preference in hiring. Without this notification from the USEFM applicant, HR is not responsible for making sure the supervisor or selecting official knows the candidate is preference eligible. The easiest way for the applicant to do this is to write down the USEFM status on the resume, job application, or other documentation submitted as part of the application package. HR then confirms preference status by making sure the applicant meets 1-3 above.

(B) US Veterans
Non-USEFMs, Members of Household (MOH), and Ordinarily Resident US Citizens receive no preference in hiring. Applicants who claim US Veterans preference must provide a copy of their Form DD-214 with their application. HR’s decision after reviewing the DD-214 regarding the applicant’s eligibility for the preference is final. A US Veteran isn’t always a US Citizen. A US veteran must submit a legal residency permit and work permit for host country and include a copy with application. If eligible and qualified, USEFMs and US Veterans receive the preference each time the applicant submits an application in response to a Mission Vacancy Announcement.  

2. Eligible Family Member (EFM)

 

• Children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age or, regardless of age, are unmarried and incapable of self support. The term “children” shall include natural offspring, step-children, adopted children, and those under permanent legal guardianship (at least until age 18), or comparable permanent custody arrangement, of the employee or spouse when dependent upon and normally residing with the guardian or custodial party; U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 14 – Logistics Management 14 FAM 510 Page 6 of 32
• Parents (including stepparents and legally adoptive parents) of the employee or of the spouse, when such parents are at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support (these parents are not authorized medical travel);
• Sisters and brothers (including stepsisters or stepbrothers, or adoptive sisters or brothers) of the employee, or of the spouse, when such sisters and brothers are at least 51 percent dependent on the employee for support, unmarried and under 21 years of age, or regardless of age, are incapable of self-support (these sisters and brothers are not authorized medical travel; see 3 FAM 3700); and Spouse.

3. Member of Household (MOH)

An individual who accompanies a sponsoring employee, i.e., a direct-hire Foreign
Service, Civil Service, or uniformed services member who is permanently
assigned to or stationed abroad at a U.S. mission, or at an office of the American
Institute in Taiwan, and who is under chief-of-mission authority. An MOH is:

                   (a) Not an EFM; and

                   (b) Not on the travel orders of the sponsoring employee; and

                   (c) Officially declared by the sponsoring U.S. Government employee to the COM as part of his or her household. An MOH may be a parent, unmarried partner, or other relative or adult child who falls outside the Department’s current definition of eligible family member. A MOH may or may not be a U.S. citizen.

4. Not-Ordinarily Resident (NOR)

An individual who:

                (a Is not a citizen of the host country; and

                (b) Does not ordinarily reside (see definition of “ordinarily resident” below) in the host country; and

                (c) Is not subject to host-country employment and tax laws; and

                (d) Has a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN).
NOR employees are compensated under a General Schedule or Foreign Service salary schedule, not under the local compensation plan.

5. Ordinarily Resident (OR)

A foreign national or U.S. citizen who:

              (a) Is locally resident; and

              (b) Has legal, permanent resident status within the host country; and

              (c) Is subject to host-country employment and tax laws.

English Level

 

Level 1: Rudimentary Knowledge
At this level an employee is, at most, required to have a rudimentary verbal understanding of a very limited English vocabulary, such as might be required in understanding and following instructions of the type that might be given to a motor pool chauffeur. This level of understanding is typically not required for positions such as laborer and trades occupations where contacts are primarily with other local employees.

Level 2: Limited Knowledge
At this level an employee needs only a limited knowledge of written
and spoken English, and a vocabulary limited to the specific occupation.
An employee at this level would be expected to understand and carry out
verbal instructions of a repetitive character, and to be able to prepare
simple reports of the type that might be expected of a motor pool
dispatcher.

Level 3: Good Working Knowledge
At this level an employee is required to have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English. The employee should be able to read and understand agency regulations, operating instructions, memoranda, and related material concerning the field of work, to prepare correspondence and standardized reports, and to communicate effectively with English speaking staff members and the general public, including both English speaking and non-English speaking persons.

Level 4: Fluent
At this level an employee is required to possess a high degree of
proficiency in both written and spoken English, including the ability to
translate the host country language into precise and correct English, and
English into the applicable foreign language. On occasion, an employee at
this level might be expected to act as an interpreter in situations where
considerable importance attaches to proper word meaning.

Level 5: Professional Translator/Interpreter or Equivalent
This level is essentially limited to professional translators and interpreters whose proficiency in written and spoken English truly matches that of a well educated native speaker. This includes the ability to deal effectively with highly technical and sophisticated terminology in which fine nuances of meaning may at times assume major importance in negotiations. At this level an employee should be capable of simultaneous translation, as in the case of conference reporting. An equivalent level of difficulty and responsibility relates to those employees who are required to be fluent in two or more foreign languages, or two or more distinctly different and complex native dialects.