Hi - I have been waiting for a TS SCI clearance at an IC agency for 22 months. I was also just offered an amazing job in the private sector that will involve me leaving the country over the next few months. How will this impact my investigation? I have never held a clearande before.
Will this tank my candidacy? Can I be ajudicated while out of the country?
Appreciate any input.
Do you know for sure you are in adjudication? I don’t think a couple of months out of the country is a showstopper, unless you are going to Iran, Russia, China and the like. And even then it doesn’t mean a rejection.
When I was processing for a three letter agency they always asked me to tell them in advance where I’m going and then have a debrief with them once I am back.
They should have given you pretty explicit instructions on how to report foreign travel while you are processing. If you forgot you might want to contact your POC.
Thank you - I don’t know for sure I am in ajudication, but after 22 months one has to imagine they are…hopefully. I’m just wondering if I should reach out to my Senator before I leave the country, because I honestly just want an answer by now yes or no.
As Velcro said above, just call the guys that are processing you and tell them where you are going and for how long, see what they say.
Is this by any chance a foreign company with offices in the US? I’ve heard of that being a concern. Not necessarily a show-stopper but something that can slow things down, especially if the co-workers are foreign nationals.
Yes it is a foriegn company. From a friendly country though. Foriegn nationals everywhere I’m sure. This is why I want to reach out to the Senator now before I take it. Because ultimately I would prefer the IC job and the Senator may push it through before I leave the country in September.
@sbusquirrel Sbusquirrel - I have a question that is best not asked on the forum. You have alot of insight, is there a way for us to connect with eachother?
If…you have solid contact with the IC recruiter or FSO, let them know. Sadly 22 months isnt long prior to Corona. Now? That previous backlog in BIs…is now a backlog in adjudication. I’m rarely a fan of contacting politicians until well beyond average processing times. In your case I would say 26 months and beyond. It’s always good having options. Overseas work is by no means disqualifying, just be sure to remember opsec.
Oh boy - flags are out and flapping in the breeze.
Friendly or not - Keep in mind there are specific questions on the form asking about employment with foreign companies. Your future clearance investigations will require very specific details about the foreign employment, foreign coworkers, foreign residence and the like. Keep all details regarding names, DOB, POB, addresses, foreign gov involvement, where, when, how often and the like. What might be fun now may not be so much with future reporting.
All that same info mentioned above might be required to report anyway as a responsible clearance or soon to be clearance holder.
Huh? What is a “foreign” company? What if you work for Deutsche Bank here in the US and some of the people you interact once in a while with are German? And then you talk on the phone with other offices in France and UK? Are you supposed to report that too?
Yes - the whole concept of tracking and gathering info for all foriegn nationals I interact with is unreasonable.
By foriegn company I mean a company HQd in a country outside the US. However my home office will be in the US, just there will be weeks and months where I will have to go to Europe and Cenral America.
Foreign anything- close and or continuing contact gets reported.
If your company is foreign owned - yes I believe it needs to be reported.
Other FIs jump in to confirm or correct
Easy fix - The person seeking a clearance can tell investigator that; the investigation report will include issues related to foreign influence and honesty while that person rolls the dice for clearance adjudication.
Transparency and clear, accurate detail is the best possible way (of all other ways I can think of) to deal with this type of situation.
Having choice in matters like this is magnificent and character building. I wish everyone the best possible outcome no matter how choice plays out.
Amberbunny, I have been waiting for a security clearance since August 2017. I submitted the SF86 in August 2017 and was informed I completed my background investigation in November 2017. I submitted an SF86C in December 2019, but still haven’t heard anything back. My case is probably a bit complicated because I also took a job overseas for nine months while processing, but only had two be foreign contacts to report. I understand that COVID19 has likely made the backlog worse, but I still feel like I’ve been processing for much longer than others (having lurked on these types of forums for a while). Would it be wise to contact a Senator or Representative to inquire on my behalf? Thanks for your input!
We were seeing 24 to 26 months as the norm in early January. But the backlog is adjudication. I would say filling out the addendum in Dec 2019 slowed you down as they vet the two names. 6 months later it’s fair to ask the FSO to trace package. They are definitely far behind the power curve. Hopefully as continuous evaluation kicks in the reinvestigation load slows considerably, opening up resources to complete folks such as yourself.