Hello,
I am currently in the adjudicating period of my Secret Clearance.
I was originally sponsored for a conditional offer, and then I started working for another company during the investigation. The company I am currently working for wants to elevate my clearance to top secret once my secret clearance is granted and has submitted a request for it.
Who owns my clearance that is in adjudication right now? The current company or the one that originally sponsored me?
The reason I ask is because I really dislike my current job and I want to leave soon - but I am afraid that will stop my clearance.
The company that originally sponsored me is aware I am working for another company and would still likely give mea position once I get my clearance. I’ve been in contact with the person who gave me the conditional offer. (He more or less said to let him know when I have a clearance and we will look at the roles available. I also signed paperwork accepting an offer.)
I wasn’t sure how the ownership works or whether it would matter that the original sponsors want me to have a clearance and are waiting on it ?
The only person involved in the security clearance process that gets back to me is someone at my current company. I don’t really think itd be a good idea to ask “hypothetically , if I quit, would my clearance get cancelled or will it still process because I want to work for the other company?” lol - but I am asking her if she knows who “owns” my clearance that is currently in process.
The way I understand it (and I could very well be wrong), you don’t have a clearance yet so nobody owns it. Pretty sure the job sponsored you for the clearance is the one you don’t want to back out of.
Be careful how you handle the request for TS. If they submit that while your Secret is still in process, they might pause or stop the Secret and start the TS which takes a lot longer. Better to let the Secret finish then you can apply for TS and get an interim TS while you wait.
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Luckily, the TS won’t begin until my Secret is approved. I was kind of upset my current employer tossed it in without asking me first - since I am fairly confident I could get Secret but not necessarily confident I could get TS.
My original sponsor gave me a conditional offer that I accepted, I’ve just been waiting for my clearance. In the meantime, I have been working at another defense contractor who put it in a request for TS that won’t begin until my Secret is approved.
Do you think I could potentially leave my current job and my clearance will remain in processing, since I haven’t done anything to “reject” my original sponsor?
I am wondering who I can reach out to that isn’t my current employer to find this out? I could try reaching out to my original security officer, but she didn’t respond to my latest email so I haven’t really bothered. I imagine shes just busy and gets a lot of people contacting her.
You could just not fill out the form for the TS.
Sounds like your current job has nothing to do with your contingent. People get and leave other jobs while waiting on CJO all the time. Don’t see how it could cause a problem.
HR dept at sponsoring company should be able to check all that stuff in EPAS. Otherwise, try your CSO again.
Thanks again.
Sounds like your current job has nothing to do with your contingent. People get and leave other jobs while waiting on CJO all the time. Don’t see how it could cause a problem.
You think so even if its a defense contractor that has also requested a clearance? I wonder if my “in process” one been transferred to my current company, or if it can it not be transferred until completed?
HR dept at sponsoring company should be able to check all that stuff in EPAS. Otherwise, try your CSO again.
Good idea. I will reach out to HR and also my Security Officer.
Again, I don’t think you actually “have” a clearance yet so there’s nothing for anyone to own. Right now it belongs to the Gov.
Right, I understand I do not have a clearance.
Theoretically if my current employer were my original sponsor, and I quit the job, the process would be cancelled I would assume? I probably shouldn’t use the word “own” but instead “which company has the power to stop me from getting cleared? My current employer or just my original sponsor?”
So I am trying to figure out if my adjudication could be stopped or cancelled if I walk away from my current job- even though they are not my original sponsor.
Thank you for all your help - I really, really appreciate it. I am going to reach out to HR and see what I can find.
Point being, (unless I’m mistaken) there’s nothing to transfer yet. Company A cannot transfer an adjudication to company B. They don’t own an adjudication. The Gov owns that. Once it’s done and you have a clearance, then another company can take ownership of the clearance. If you back out of the CJO, sponsoring company can tell the Gov you no longer need the clearance. The Gov is the one who decides if they will stop the adjudication. In fact, if they’re close to completion, they might still just finish it off.
I think that makes sense. Unless the “sponsoring” itself can be transferred but I have no clue how that’d work.