Family Remittances vs. Financial Support (Pa. 20A. 5)

I am about to apply for security clearance and I have a question regarding
“20A.5-Have you EVER provided financial support for any foreign national?”
Is Family Remittance sent abroad to my mother (who is not a U.S. Citizen) is considered “Financial Support” per Question 20A.5?

Yes, disclose the transactions.
Be prepared to discuss it in length with the investigator depending on the frequency, amount, purpose, method of transaction, recipient…

And if you are unfortunate enough to have been flagged by Fincen, it’s always good to have some receipts in hand :wink:

3 Likes

Thanks for your answer. Why would trigger a Fincen? I have become recently a citizen and came from my original country where my mom is still there (I am a first-generation person). What would be a “flag” here usually?

If you are a newly Naturalized Citizen (is this considered first-gen? I thought first-gen was the newborn of Immigrants?) then I would hazard to say you will have an uphill battle for your Clearance. This is said of course with no knowledge of what Country you’ve left.

Do you now hold dual-nationalities? I know many people that hold TS’s but can’t get SAP or Program access because of this.

A ‘flag’ in terms of sending money overseas is normally the amount, the reason, and who holds control of the accounts that the money goes into. For me personally - I have an ex-wife and three dual-national children in a FVEY country…joint account for bills, medical, and child support that the ex-wife and I have full control over. All reported/cleared/approved as I keep getting my clearances and updates.

Definitely report. Nothing wrong with helping mom. But they need look at it.

Nothing to worry about, just list everything as best as you can.