305.2—Eligibility.
In addition to those skills, personal attributes and aptitudes required for available Volunteer assignments, the following are the basic requirements that an applicant must satisfy in order to receive an invitation to train for Peace Corps Volunteer service.
(a) Citizenship.
The applicant must be a citizen of the United States or have made arrangements satisfactory to the Office of Marketing, Recruitment, Placement and Staging (MRPS) and the Office of General Counsel (D/GC) to be naturalized prior to taking the oath prescribed for enrollment as a Peace Corps Volunteer. (See section 5 [a] of the Peace Corps Act, as amended).
(c) Medical status.
The applicant must, with reasonable accommodation, have the physical and mental capacity required of a Volunteer to perform the essential functions of the Peace Corps Volunteer assignment for which he or she is otherwise eligible, and be able to complete an agreed upon tour of service, ordinarily two years, without unreasonable disruption due to health problems. In determining what is a reasonable accommodation, the Peace Corps may take into account the adequacy of local medical facilities. In determining whether an accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the Peace Corps, factors to be considered include: (1) The overall size of the Peace Corps program with respect to the number of employees and/or Volunteers, size of budget, and size and composition of staff at post of assignment, (2) the nature and cost of the accommodation, and (3) the capacity of the host country agency to which the applicant would be assigned to provide any special accommodation necessary for the applicant to carry out the assignment.
(d) Legal status.
The applicant must not be on parole or probation to any court or have any court established or acknowledged financial or other legal obligation which, in the opinion of D/GC and MRPS, cannot be satisfied or postponed during the period of Peace Corps service.
(e) Intelligence background.
In accordance with longstanding Peace Corps policy, prior employment by any agency of the United States Government, civilian or military, or division of such an agency, whose exclusive or principle function is the performance of intelligence activities; or engaging in intelligence activities or related work may disqualify a person from eligibility for Peace Corps service. See section 611 of the Peace Corps Manual.
(f) Marital status.
(1)
Ordinarily, if an applicant is married or intends to marry prior to Peace Corps service, both husband and wife must apply and qualify for assignment at the same location. Exceptions to this rule will be considered by the Office of Volunteer Placement (MRPS/P) under the following conditions:
(2)
(i) Unaccompanied married applicant.
In order to qualify for consideration for Peace Corps service, a married applicant whose spouse does not wish to accompany him/her overseas must provide the Office of Placement (MRPS/P) with a notarized letter from the spouse acknowledging that he or she is aware of the applicant spouse's intention to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years or more and that any financial and legal obligations of the applicant to his or her spouse can be met during the period of Peace Corps service. In determining eligibility in such cases, MRPS/P will also consider whether the service of one spouse without the accompaniment of the other can reasonably be anticipated to disrupt the applicant spouse's service overseas.
(ii)
In addition to satisfying the above requirements, a married applicant who is legally, or in fact, separated from his or her spouse, must provide MRPS/P with copies of any agreements or other documentation setting forth any legal and financial responsibilities which the parties have to one another during any period of separation.
(3) Divorced applicants.
Applicants who have been divorced must provide MRPS/P with copies of all legal documents related to the divorce.
(g) Dependents.
Peace Corps has authority to provide benefits and allowances for the dependent children of Peace Corps Volunteers who are under the age of 18. However, applicants with dependent children under the age of 18 will not be considered eligible for Peace Corps service unless MRPS/P determines that the skills of the applicants are essential to meet the requirements of a Volunteer project, and that qualified applicants without minor dependents are not available to fill the assignment.
(1) Procedures for placing volunteers with children.
The placement of any couple with dependent children must have the concurrence of the appropriate Country and Regional Director.
(2)
If the applicant has any dependents who will not accompany him or her overseas, the applicant must satisfy MRPS/P and the General Counsel that adequate arrangements have been made for the care and support of the dependent during any period of training and Peace Corps service; that such service will not adversely affect the relationship between the applicant and dependent in such a way as to disrupt his or her service; and that he or she is not using Peace Corps service to escape responsibility for the welfare of any dependents under the age of 18.
(3)
Married couples with more than two children or with children who are below two years of age are not eligible for Peace Corps service except in extraordinary circumstances as approved by the Director of the Peace Corps or designee.
(h) Military service.
Applicants with military or national guard obligation must provide MRPS/P with a written statement from their commanding officer that their presence will not be required by their military unit for the duration of their Peace Corps service, except in case of national emergency.
(i) Failure to disclose requested information.
Failure to disclose, and/or the misrepresentation of material information requested by the Peace Corps regarding any of the above described standards of eligibility may be grounds for disqualification or separation from Peace Corps Volunteer service. (See section 284 of the Peace Corps Manual.)