FAQ's

The Professional Fellows Program offers promising young professionals the opportunity to gain training and practical experience working in organizations in the United States. The program is supported by the Department of State, through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. There are thousands of alumni from these programs in positions of leadership around the world.

You must be  a citizen of and current resident in: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco or Tunisia. 

The program is approximately 38-42 days in length and all fellows must participate fully in all program activities. Late arrivals/early departures/deferrals are granted only in cases of extreme need (e.g. serious health issues) and with approval of the U.S. Department of State.

As an applicant to the program, it is up to you to discuss this with your employer. If you are selected as a finalist you will need to confirm your availability to participate and that you have taken leave from work for the period of the program. Many fellows feel obliged to work while in USA and this is confusing for your fellowship hosts and the Legacy team. Treat it as a sabbatical. 

If you are selected as a finalist, Legacy International and the US Department of State will cover all costs associated with your international travel, visa, limited sickness and accident insurance and basic living costs in the U.S. (housing, meals and transportation associated with work commutes)

All fellows will arrive and depart from Washington, DC. The first week of the program the entire group stays together for an orientation in the Washington, DC area. In the second week of the program, you begin your  month-long fellowship in either Washington, DC, Detroit, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or Austin, Texas.  Everyone concludes the program in Washington, DC at the Professional Fellows Congress.

During orientation, you will share a hotel room with a fellow participant. During the month long fellowship period, you will stay in furnished apartments. Usually, 4 Fellows are placed in a 2-bedroom apartment. During the last week of the program, all Fellows are housed in a hotel, two people per room. In all cases, housing is gender separate. Please note - you will always be sharing a bedroom - like you did back in university!

Legacy International and our partners in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Austin will place you with a U.S. host organization that matches your field of interest. Fellows always learn valuable strategies during their placements.  You may express interest in a particular organization or field and we will do our best to place you, however, Legacy will make final placements based on the quality of experience a host can provide. A Fellow's flexibility and adaptability is the key to success.

PFP fellowship placements are most successful when fellows think about goals and objectives in advance of arrival and share these with Legacy and your fellowship host. In your daily fellowship, you will likely engage in a wide range of activities, including participating in meetings, conducting research, shadowing various people in the office, attending events, and working on projects, among other things.  

No. The program policy as set by ECA and Legacy International is for PFP Fellows to arrive in the United States alone. This allows you to focus fully on your professional development experience.

Consider this an educational sabbatical. The "job" of the PFP Fellow is to fulfill program goals. For this reason, the J-1 visa does NOT give the holder authorization to work in the U.S. Of course, this does not include occasional attention to your professional responsibilities back home, but we expect that you will keep these to the bare minimum.

No. All Fellows must be current residents and citizens of the country through which they are applying. Eligible countries are Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. 

After the application deadline, it will be several weeks before all of the applications are reviewed and decisions made.

Once selected, we will follow up with you to arrange for visa interviews, travel arrangements including flights, and to begin the orientation process. Prior to the orientation, you will receive emails with links to materials to read and about a virtual session to be held with members of your delegation.

In addition to Legacy International, other organizations across the United States have also been selected to arrange similar fellowships. Fellows come from dozens of countries. All Fellows come together at the end of their program for a three-day "Professional Fellows Congress" in Washington, DC.

You can apply and will be considered in the open merit based competition along with other applicants from your country.