It depends on the program, not on one global rule. On 14 November 2026 Mercor, Outlier and Prolific published lists of countries they accept, Mindrift and micro1 published lists of places they cannot serve, Handshake AI took people outside the US by invitation only, and Alignerr said it welcomes applicants from around the world. Turing, xAI, Welo Data, RWS, TELUS Digital and Invisible's Meridial network decide listing by listing, and many of their listings name one country or language. DataAnnotation does not publish a country list; apply or ask Origin. We take people from every country: tell us what you do and we'll send you what's open to you.
- Missing from one program's list says nothing about the next: Pakistan is on neither Mercor's nor Outlier's list, yet Turing listings name it and Meridial lists Urdu, Pashto and Sindhi roles there.
- Mercor pays most countries through Stripe Connect and a few, including Brazil, Nepal, Turkey and the UAE, through Wise.
- Prolific's list is mostly OECD countries; in Africa it lists only Egypt and South Africa.
- Language, voice and recording roles are often tied to one country, so read listings as well as lists.
How each program decides which countries it accepts
We take people from every country. Tell us what you do and we'll send you what's open to you.
Programs publish five kinds of country rule. An allow-list names the countries you may work from (Mercor, Outlier, Prolific). An exclusion list names the places a program cannot serve, so everywhere else is not ruled out (micro1, Mindrift). Invitation only means no open sign-up (Handshake AI outside the US). Per listing means each post sets its own location (Turing, xAI, Welo Data, RWS, TELUS Digital, Meridial, OneForma). The fifth is no published rule: DataAnnotation names no countries, and CrowdGen says only that it can pay contributors from over 200 countries.
The table lists every program we checked, alphabetically, with the payout methods its own pages name.
| Program | Kind of rule | What it publishes | Payout methods (its own pages) | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alignerr | No country list; welcomes applicants worldwide (its FAQ) | Welcomes applicants from around the world who meet its skill and communication requirements | Not stated in its FAQ | Source: FAQ, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| CrowdGen (Appen) | No list published | Says it can pay contributors from over 200 countries; names no countries; apply or ask Origin | PayPal, Payoneer, Airtm, Swift and more | Source: CrowdGen, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| DataAnnotation | No list published | Its FAQ names no countries; apply or ask Origin | PayPal | Source: FAQ, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Handshake AI | Invitation only outside the US | Participation for international fellows is invite-only; some listings name one country (Canada, India, UK, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia; STEM PhD LATAM) | Stripe | Source: help centre; payments, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Invisible (Meridial network) | Per listing | Each listing names a country or says World Wide - Remote | Not stated on the listings | Source: Urdu listing; Zulu listing, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Mercor | Allow-list | Supported countries by region; it cannot onboard experts anywhere not on the page | Stripe Connect; countries marked Wise are paid through Wise | Source: payment policy; regions policy, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| micro1 | Exclusion list | Names 21 countries and regions it is unable to hire from | USD twice a month through Deel | Source: experts page; FAQ, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Mindrift | Exclusion lists | A sanctions list, plus countries it cannot support; in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan only new registrations are closed | Payoneer or Tipalti (PayPal) | Source: eligibility; FAQ, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| OneForma | Per project | Each project states who can join; one Tagalog project was open to experts based in any country | PayPal, Payoneer and Tremendous | Source: Tagalog project; how it works, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Outlier | Allow-list | A list of countries you may work from; VPNs to hide your location are not permitted | PayPal, Airtm or ACH bank transfer | Source: country list; FAQ, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Prolific | Allow-list, plus waitlist | Mostly OECD countries; eligibility follows where you live, not nationality | PayPal in USD or GBP | Source: countries; payouts, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| RWS TrainAI | Per listing | Listings name a country or a set of cities | PayPal or bank account | Source: community page; Lingala listing, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| TELUS Digital | Per listing | Many listings ask for 5 consecutive years living in the country | Not stated on the listings | Source: Australia listing, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Turing | Per listing | Location line on each listing; many name India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana and Bangladesh | Bank account added at onboarding | Source: Java listing; onboarding, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| Welo Data | Per listing | Each listing or talent pool states where you must be based | Not stated on the listings | Source: Twi network, read 14 Nov 2026 |
| xAI | Per listing | AI Tutor listings name the US, UK, Canada and Australia; maths and science add India | Not stated on the listings | Source: writing listing; maths listing, read 14 Nov 2026 |
Region by region: which countries each list names
Find your region, then read across. Each cell is that program's own rule, read on 14 November 2026; a country left off one list can still be named by a listing in the sixth column. Mercor's groups follow its own payment page, where Egypt sits in Africa.
| Region | Mercor (supported list) | Outlier (work-from list) | Prolific (participant list) | Mindrift and micro1 (exclusions) | Listings naming the region, 14 Nov 2026 | Country guides |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia. Not on it: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania. Not on it: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria | Egypt and South Africa only | Mindrift: no new sign-ups in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria; Central African Republic, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan restricted. micro1 cannot hire in DR Congo, Ethiopia, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan | Turing (Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria); micro1 English (Nigeria, South Africa); Welo Data networks (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Swahili, Twi, Afrikaans, Zulu); Meridial (Afrikaans, Xhosa, Northern Sotho) | Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa |
| South Asia | Bangladesh, India, Nepal (Wise), Sri Lanka. Not on it: Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives | Bangladesh, India, Maldives. Not on it: Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka | India only | Mindrift: no new sign-ups in Bangladesh, Pakistan; Afghanistan restricted. micro1 cannot hire in Afghanistan | Turing (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh); Meridial (Urdu, Pashto, Sindhi in Pakistan; Hindi in India); Handshake AI, RWS, TELUS Digital and Welo Data (India); xAI maths and science (India) | Bangladesh, India, Pakistan |
| Southeast and East Asia | Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. Not on it: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Myanmar | Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam | Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan | Mindrift: Taiwan unsupported; China (with Hong Kong and Macau), Myanmar, North Korea restricted. micro1 cannot hire in China, Hong Kong, Macao, Myanmar, North Korea | micro1 English (Philippines) and Indonesian bilingual; Handshake AI Bahasa Indonesian (Indonesia); Mercor, TELUS Digital and Turing Indonesian roles; Meridial and OneForma Tagalog; Welo Data Tagalog and Cebuano | Indonesia, Philippines |
| Middle East | Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey (Wise), United Arab Emirates (Wise). Not on it: Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Yemen | Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates | Bahrain, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates | Mindrift: Iran, Palestine, Syria, Yemen restricted. micro1 cannot hire in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen | Turing listings name Turkey | None yet |
| Europe | Most of the EU, plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia. Not on it: Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Montenegro, Kosovo | Most of Europe, including the UK, Norway and Switzerland | Most EU countries, plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland | Mindrift: Switzerland unsupported; Belarus, Kosovo, Russia restricted. micro1 cannot hire in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine | Handshake AI, Meridial, Welo Data, RWS and xAI (UK) | UK |
| Latin America | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (Wise), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay. Not on it: Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and others | Brazil, Chile, Mexico | Mindrift: Cuba restricted. micro1 cannot hire in Cuba, Venezuela | Turing (Brazil, Mexico, LATAM); Handshake AI (Brazil, Mexico; STEM PhD LATAM); Mercor, micro1, Alignerr, TELUS Digital and RWS Portuguese and Spanish roles | Brazil, Mexico |
| North America | Canada, United States | Canada, United States | Canada, United States | Neither excludes Canada or the US | Handshake AI (Canada); micro1 English (Canada); Turing (US, Canada, Western Europe); xAI | Canada |
| Oceania | Australia, New Zealand | Australia, New Zealand | Australia, New Zealand | Neither excludes Australia or New Zealand | micro1 English (Australia and New Zealand); Alignerr Australian English voice; xAI (Australia) | Australia |
Sources: Mercor payment policy; Outlier country list; Prolific countries; Mindrift eligibility; micro1 experts page, read 14 Nov 2026. Lists change: Mindrift last updated its page on 12 November 2026, and Mercor says its list is reviewed regularly as Stripe and Wise expand.
If your country is missing from a list, what is still open
Four kinds of work tend to stay open when the large lists leave a country out:
- Listings that name the country. Turing's coding, data and writing listings read on 14 November 2026 named India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana and Bangladesh, among others, with coding work at $25 or $30 per approved task (Turing Java; Turing ML/AI).
- Language roles. Meridial listed Urdu, Pashto and Sindhi specialists in Pakistan and Afrikaans, Xhosa and Northern Sotho specialists in South Africa, each with a pay range of $8 to $65 an hour (Meridial Urdu; Meridial Xhosa). Welo Data runs contributor pools for languages such as Twi, Zulu and Afrikaans. See bilingual AI training jobs.
- Voice and recording projects. RWS listed a Lingala conversation recording project across South African cities at 8 USD an hour, and Welo Data an English (South Africa) voice project at $20 an hour (RWS; Welo Data). See AI voice data jobs.
- Programs with wide eligibility. Alignerr says: "We welcome applicants from around the world who meet our skill and communication requirements." (Alignerr). micro1 publishes only a short list of countries it cannot hire from, and CrowdGen says it can pay contributors in over 200 countries.
Your country means where you live, not your passport
Prolific puts it plainly: "Eligibility is based on where you currently live, not your nationality." (Prolific). The other programs work the same way, which is why getting around a rule does not work: Outlier says "the use of VPNs to mask your presence in a restricted country is not permitted" and may ask for a government ID (Outlier). Moving countries changes your eligibility in both directions, so update your profile when you move.
How payouts change by country
Mercor is the only program we checked that publishes payout coverage country by country. Its payment policy says payouts use Stripe Connect, and countries marked Wise, such as Brazil, Nepal, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, are paid through Wise instead (Mercor).
The rest name one set of methods for everyone: Outlier PayPal, Airtm or ACH; Prolific PayPal in USD or GBP; Mindrift Payoneer or Tipalti; micro1 USD twice a month through Deel; OneForma PayPal, Payoneer and Tremendous; CrowdGen PayPal, Payoneer, Airtm, Swift and more by location; DataAnnotation PayPal; RWS PayPal or a bank account; Turing a bank account. Whether a method works where you live is the payment provider's rule, so check it first.
Payoneer, for example, says account holders in Pakistan can withdraw funds directly to a local Pakistani bank account (Payoneer). More detail: AI training payment methods and taxes on AI training income.
Country guides
Each guide lists every program we checked for that country, with its own rule, live listings, payout routes and national tax basics.
- Africa: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa.
- Asia: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines.
- Europe and the Americas: UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico.
- Oceania: Australia.
Next step
No guide for your country yet? The region table still applies, and an inquiry costs nothing. Before you apply anywhere, read are AI training jobs legit?: real programs never charge to join.
Tell us what you do. We'll send you the paid AI work that fits your field, wherever you live. It's free.
Origin Data Partners is independent of the programs on this page. A program may pay Origin when Origin introduces someone who joins it, which never changes what you are paid (how Origin is paid).
Common questions
Can I do AI training work from any country?
Not with every program, but most countries have some route. Mercor, Outlier and Prolific publish allow-lists, Mindrift and micro1 publish exclusion lists, and Turing, Welo Data, RWS, Meridial and xAI decide per listing. We take people from every country: tell us what you do and we'll send you what's open to you.
Which AI training programs publish a list of accepted countries?
On 14 November 2026 Mercor, Outlier and Prolific published allow-lists. Mindrift and micro1 published lists of places they cannot serve. DataAnnotation did not publish a country list (apply or ask Origin), and Handshake AI accepted people outside the US by invitation only.
Why is a country on Mercor's list but not Outlier's?
Each program writes its own list. Mercor calls its page the countries where it can pay experts, using Stripe Connect or Wise. Ghana and Nigeria, for example, are on Mercor's list and not on Outlier's, while Cameroon and Malawi are on Outlier's and not on Mercor's.
Does Prolific accept participants anywhere in Africa?
Yes, in two countries. On 14 November 2026 its participant list named Egypt and South Africa. People elsewhere can join its waitlist, and Prolific says it sometimes invites participants from unsupported countries.
Which countries does Mercor pay through Wise?
Its payment policy marked Brazil, Nepal, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as paid through Wise on 14 November 2026. Other supported countries are paid through Stripe Connect.
Does applying from an unsupported country get me banned?
Applying honestly does not break a rule; the program simply cannot onboard you. Hiding your location does: Outlier forbids VPNs used to mask a restricted country and may ask for a government ID. Tell us what you do instead, and we'll send you what's open where you live.
Which countries are Mercor, Outlier AI, Prolific and Handshake AI available in?
Mercor covers most of Europe, the Americas and Oceania and 20 African countries, not Kenya or Pakistan. Outlier leaves out Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Pakistan. Prolific is mostly OECD countries plus Egypt and South Africa. Handshake AI is invitation only outside the US. The region table has the detail.
Which countries are Alignerr, DataAnnotation Tech and Remotasks available in?
Alignerr publishes no list and welcomes applicants worldwide who meet its skill and communication requirements. DataAnnotation (DataAnnotation Tech) names no countries; apply or ask Origin. Our Remotasks review covers where Scale AI's older platform stands.
Are there remote AI training jobs worldwide for people with no experience?
Some. Prolific studies need no experience but accept mostly OECD countries. Elsewhere the entry routes are language pools (Welo Data), recording projects (RWS) and per-project programs such as Alignerr and CrowdGen. Coding and expert listings ask for experience, and no real program charges to join.
Are remote data annotation jobs open worldwide?
Not under one rule. CrowdGen by Appen says it pays contributors in over 200 countries, OneForma decides per project, and Meridial and Welo Data post language roles country by country. Outlier and Mindrift use country lists, so check the table first.
Sources and further reading
- Mercor: supported countries for payment
- Mercor: supported countries and regions
- Outlier: flexible working guidelines (country list)
- Outlier: FAQs
- Prolific: who can participate in studies
- Prolific: expert network
- Mindrift (Toloka): eligibility and geographic restrictions
- Mindrift: welcome FAQ
- micro1: experts page (countries it cannot hire from)
- micro1: working FAQs
- Alignerr: FAQs
- Handshake AI Help Center: work authorization eligibility
- Handshake Help Center: Handshake AI payments processing
- DataAnnotation: FAQs
- CrowdGen by Appen
- OneForma: how it works
- OneForma: Tagalog speech translation evaluator
- RWS TrainAI community
- RWS listing: AI Conversation Recording Contributor - Lingala (South Africa)
- TELUS Digital: Online Data Analyst - Australia
- Turing listing: SWE Bench Engineer - JAVA
- Turing listing: ML/AI Systems Engineer
- Turing Knowledge Base: project onboarding
- Welo Data: AI Trainers Network - Twi
- Welo Data: Hydrus Voice Contributor - English (South Africa)
- Meridial: Urdu Language Specialist (Pakistan)
- Meridial: Xhosa Language Specialist (South Africa)
- Meridial: Zulu Language Specialist (worldwide)
- xAI listing: AI Tutor, Writing
- xAI listing: AI Tutor, Math
- Payoneer: individual account in Pakistan