Getting a TS through NBIB here. My investigator got everything done pretty quickly since I’m a real simple case, and told me maybe ~1.5 weeks ago that he was pretty much all done and I would be in adjudication soon.
Today, a few friends messaged me and said they were just contacted to be interviewed by my BI this week. One of them (who I didn’t warn or list, I guess he developed that reference from someone else) got scared and told me that they said they didn’t know me out of fear! I told them there was nothing to worry about, but I guess it’s too late.
Is this normal? Do my adjudicators probably just want more character refs? Hard to think my agency starting adjudicating on me that quickly though. Not sure what to think. As always any abnormalities in this case make an applicant’s mind run.
Another possibility is that whoever is doing the review of your investigator’s file before it gets sent forward said it needed more references. I think there is some kind of quality control review before cases get sent to be adjudicated, especially when the BI is being done by a contract investigator.
A note to all, investigators do not know when a case will be closed, they only see their piece of the pie. And yes, a contractor reviewer goes over the case reports to review for completeness before releasing to to OPM/NBIB or the requesting agency.
An investigator or agent should never tell you when your case will close or how long it will take. The simple reason is… they don’t know.
A few things I tell every Subject at the start of their interview:
a) I don’t know how long your case will take.
b) I don’t know if you will get your clearance.
c) Tell everyone, especially the people listed on your forms or we discuss that someone may come around asking about you.
— if I contact someone you or someone else gave me as a “friend” and they decline to talk to me - I ask why and report they declined to be interviewed because (…),
The real danger comes with persons interviewed who were not given as references. Such “developed informants” can say pretty much whatever they want, since they won’t be cross-examined or placed under oath, and their identity will be kept concealed if they request it.
Yes, when questioned by an investigator the interviewee is put on notice that the subject of the investigation may request a copy of the report and may request to be kept confidential, However, any adverse information they disclose has to be corroborated by another non-confidential source in order for teh adjudicating agency to use that information in a clearance denial process.