Lets say I went to Iran (which I didn’t) back six years ago and Syria (which I didn’t) , one year ago, for sight seeing, BUT I didn’t list that on the SF 86 cuz I was afraid the attn that would bring, can investigators still find out?
I’m asking because I did a FOIA request for my BI, and aside from financial info (like myCredit cards I’ve opened and closed), there was nothing on them checking my travel history?
Some interviews require a passport review. That means the photo page and all stamped info is added into the report. Trip details are obtained. Should that info not be listed in the travel section as required (7yr timeframe) the report will not only reflect foreign travel issues but possible honest issues as well - that is if the trips were taken during the coverage period - 7 years.
Some countries are flagged and will need additional coverage - sources knowledgeable of the specific travel.
Honesty is best so include the required travel info - be ready to provide details about all trips shown via stamps in your passport.
Investigators can definitely see where you have traveled, especially when scanning airport footage using facial recognition technology which is a large part of the job. I’d be careful about hiding those trips or you’re looking at a trip to the gulag
Might want to read this: https://news.clearancejobs.com/2019/01/28/how-dhs-is-sharing-your-travel-details-with-the-director-of-national-intelligence/
It is the digital age. Thousands of complex fingerprints are now compared in hours vice what was weeks. The absolute ease with which your border crossings could be shared in seconds…is enough to drive honesty. Hiding any foreign contact or travel invites questioning. Rightly so. If they think you deliberately withheld info…it is no longer about missing info…it is about implied deception.
That is a deep hole.
I’m just curious where you entered into each country. If you speak Turkish, you can get around in the north/ NW of each. About the same if you speak Arabic or Kurdish. If you speak none of those, then hats off to you for getting in and out without getting snatched up, especially in Syria just a year ago. Or you could be Russian, but your use of English articles is too accurate for that.
A coworker with US/ Israeli citizenship had to cross by vehicle from Jordan into Israel, since he had Iraqi stamps in his passport. He was given a temporary paper visa at that border. Even if you went that route from Turkey to Syria and Iran, you’re still going to have to give lots of details about your time in Turkey. Pretty sure any other country around Syria and Turkey requires a visa for US citizens.
I mean, you were already denied a Public Trust, so why not just lay out all the details.
Or roll the dice and try to hide those trips. I used to work in a federal penitentiary. If you’re of Muslim heritage, you’ll be fine. If not, you’l have to clique up, ‘put in work’ for credibility, etc. Might as well start doing burpees now, just in case.
In the last five years I have traveled overseas at least three times a year and not one single time was my passport stamped. It’s all electronic now, nobody really needs to put ink in side the pages unless you ask them to as a souvenir (and some countries will even charge you for the stamp). Unless you enter and depart a country illegally, and never use a credit card or ATM while there, there is always a record.