Consular Fellows Program

Consular Fellows Program
Who are we?
Who qualifies to become a Consular Fellow?
What training do Consular Fellows receive?
Consular Fellows attend:
Where are we assigned?
Consular Fellows are normally assigned to high volume posts where there is a demand for quality consular officers

Consular Fellows may also participate in TDYs where there is a high demand
How are Consular Fellows similar to generalists?
The Consular Fellow Program trains consular officers already prepared in the following languages:
Spanish
Portuguese
Chinese Mandarin
Consular fellows must pass a rigorous application process consisting of the following steps:
1. Submitting an application (includes completed narratives normally part of the generalist application process)
2. Passing a preliminary over-the-phone language test
3. Passing an Oral Assessment in Washington D.C.
4. Passing the language exam
Candidates must:
Have a bachelors degree
Be over the age of 21
Qualify for a TS Clearance (and maintain it!)
Be a US Citizen
1. Two week orientation
2. Regional Studies
3. ConGen
4. Consular Language course (in the language for which you were hired)
5. FACT
Russian
Arabic
French
How does bidding work for Consular Fellows?
Consular Fellow classes are divided into their language groups

Each language group is allowed to bid from a few countries and submit their bids to their CDO
The 7th CA-LNA class received the following posts in their bid-list:
Spanish
Ciudad Juarez
Santo Domingo
Guatemala City

Chinese Mandarin
Shenyang
Beijing
Guangzhou

For example...
Portuguese
Brasilia
Sao Paolo

Consular Fellows are expected to work alongside generalists in all consular sections and have the same responsibilities
Consular Fellows are also paid on the FS-Scale, have to write EERs, and act as duty officers when needed
How are Consular Fellows different from generalists?
CFs are limited to a five year appointment (one two-year post+ one two-year post with an extension)

CFs may only bid for consular jobs

Much shorter list of posts on bidlist
Where do Consular Fellows go?
As per the agreement Consular Fellows sign, they leave the foreign service after their five year appointment is done

There is
no
pathway program into the foreign service as generalists


The first CA-LNA class is getting close to finishing their five year appointment

It is unclear if Consular Fellows can apply for another five year appointment, as no one has finished yet
Do you have any questions or comments for the Consular Fellow panel?
The program, formerly known as the Consular Adjudicator Limited Non-Career Appointment (CA-LNA) program, began in 2012. The 10th class is currently at FSI.