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Do I need to be a United States citizen to do a service year?
Do I need to be a United States citizen to do a service year?
Jonas Kane avatar
Written by Jonas Kane
Updated over a week ago

Most opportunities listed on ServiceYear.org require that you be a U.S. citizen, national, or legal permanent resident alien of the United States. This is an absolute requirement for all positions affiliated with AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps NCCC.

For positions offered through AmeriCorps VISTA, you must have one of the following citizenship statuses (per guidance provided on the AmeriCorps website): "U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, Lawful Permanent Resident Aliens, or persons legally residing in a state that have the following legal residency classifications: refugee, asylum or asylee, temporary protected status or deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status. By law, only AmeriCorps VISTA members who are either U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, or Lawful Permanent Resident Aliens—sometimes referred to as “Lawful Permanent Residents”—are eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Segal Education Award. All other members will receive an end of service cash stipend."

You must be a U.S. citizen to serve in the Peace Corps.

Organizations with non-AmeriCorps opportunities set their own eligibility requirements, and you are welcome to reach out to those organizations directly with questions about your eligibility. You can filter your search results to browse non-AmeriCorps service year listings

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