CF/LNA: SOP 134E4

BUREAU OF GLOBAL TALENT MANAGEMENT
OFFICE OF TALENT ACQUISITION

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES NOTICE NO. 134E4

This SOP replaces and supersedes SOP 134E3 dated 03/18/2022 and all previous versions of 134E.

SUBJECT: Salary Standards for Foreign Service Consular Fellow Limited Non-Career Appointment, effective October 15, 2024.

PURPOSE: To provide procedures for determining the entry-level salary for Foreign Service Consular Fellow Limited Non-Career Appointment (CA/LNA) Candidates hired in accordance with 3 FAM 2293.

PROCEDURES: The Office of Intake, Planning, and Onboarding (IPO) is responsible for determining the entrylevel salary (grade and step) offered to a candidate, based on their qualifying professional experience, education, and current federal agency salary history. Salary review/appeal procedures are covered by Salary Review Procedure SOP No. 134D5.

Determination of Entry-level Grade and Step

A candidate’s grade and step determination are based on the combination of their level of education and their years of qualifying professional experience (QPE), as provided in the chart below:

The vacancy announcement for Foreign Service Consular Fellow Limited Non-Career Appointment positions states that successful candidates will be appointed at one of the grade levels specified, i.e., either FS-6 or FS-5. Successful candidates will be offered the highest grade/lowest step as justified by the candidate’s education at the time the offer is made. Additional steps will be granted for each two full years of qualifying work experience (see below), up to a maximum of five steps. For example, a candidate with a bachelor’s degree plus eight years of qualifying work experience is awarded a salary level of FS-6, Step 5.

Education:

To be considered, all degrees must be from accredited institutions, education completed in foreign institution may be used to meet Federal job requirements if the candidate can show that the foreign education is comparable to education received in the United States. A bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree, received from an accredited institution after the IPO has sent an offer of employment, but before the candidate has been sworn in as a Consular Adjudicator will be credited for grade and salary determination upon submission of evidence of the degree to the IPO.

Calculation of Qualifying Experience:

An additional step may be granted for each year of qualifying professional experience, calculated up to the effective date of the Appointment offer (i.e., class start date). Regardless of the nature of work performed, the number of positions held, hours worked, or employment status (including self-employment), no more than 40 hours of qualifying professional experience will be credited for anyone-week period. Part-time work will be prorated. When totaling a candidate’s qualifying professional experience, no credit is given for periods of less than one year (e.g., four years and eleven months of experience is credited as four years).

For the purposes of this SOP, qualifying professional experience refers to work in a field that requires a bachelor’s degree or higher. Experience in clerical, wage-grade positions, or other roles that do not require a bachelor’s degree will not be considered qualifying. Qualifying professional experience refers to work experience in the following fields: foreign affairs; legal or paralegal affairs; regulatory or governmental affairs; consular affairs; foreign assistance or international development; translation or interpretation services; and, teaching at the high school level or above. Volunteer work may be credited if it meets the definition of qualifying professional experience.

Military Service:

All relevant military experience, whether as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer, can be considered qualifying professional experience if it aligns with the job requirements of the position.

Matching Salary Consideration: 

Executive Order 14035 titled “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce” was signed into law on June 25, 2021. It directed OPM to consider whether to prohibit agencies from seeking or relying on an applicant’s salary history to set pay. On January 30, 2024, OPM issued a final rule titled “Advancing Pay Equity in Governmentwide Pay Systems” which prohibits the use of an applicant’s non-federal salary history to set pay for an applicant receiving their first appointment as a civilian employee in the federal government. To adhere to this rule, salary matching will no longer be considered for Foreign Service candidates who do not have federal salary history.

For candidates who do have federal salary history, once the candidate’s grade and step are determined based on education and QPE, IPO will compare the candidate’s “current federal salary history” (defined below) with the base salary at the projected grade and step. If the candidate’s “current federal salary history” is higher than the projected grade and step salary provided in the Foreign Service “Base” Salary Schedule, the candidate’s starting salary will be raised to the closest step within the grade for which they are qualified, without being less than their current salary. If the current salary is too high to be matched within the qualified grade, step 14 of that grade will be the starting salary. The salary rate is then set at that grade and step as provided in the Foreign Service “Overseas Comparability Pay” Salary Schedule.

For the purposes of this SOP, “current federal salary” means base salary earned for at least 90 days for government civilian direct-hire employment prior to appointment as a Foreign Service Career Candidate. Candidates must submit a copy of their SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action for the most recent promotion, cost of living adjustment, or within-grade increase, and/or other appropriate personnel documentation. For candidates with current or previous federal employment, only base salary will be considered for salary matching. Locality pay or other special differentials will not be considered part of “current salary.” The highest federal base salary held for at least 90 days may be considered for salary matching regardless of how long ago the position was held.

Salary Offer Response Deadline:

You will have 10 calendar days to accept, decline, or appeal the salary offered.