Hello all. Thanks for all of the help here. I’m apply for jobs that have a tier 1 investigation. I’m currently living in South Korea and have questions about the process. If I get a tentative offer in early May, what happens after that? I’m especially interested in the timing of fingerprints and submitting the eQIP. Will OPM send me a fingerprint card to send back to them by mail? Can I submit the eQIP without submitting fingerprints? I also know that there are generally time limits set on when you need to submit your eQIP and fingerprints, so how does this work with someone that lives abroad? Thanks for any info!
Basic question but I assume you’re an American citizen, yes? I also assume the job would be one you’d come back to the States for?
I’m not sure if there are any restrictions on accessing and completing an e-qip from abroad.
You’ll likely have to get your fingerprints done stateside. You’ll have to go to an official location such as a police department to get the prints taken. And you won’t be sent any fingerprint forms from OPM. Maybe your employer would provide them but most likely they’ll just tell you which ones you need to use and you’ll have to go buy them yourself. (I get them on amazon no problem.)
Certainly if the job is located overseas then the employer will know all the specifics regarding how the process works for overseas applicants. But if it’s a job that you’d be coming back to the US for you’ll likely have to do that in order to complete the required documents.
I started my SF-86 while in Ukraine, but had to return to do digital fingerprints. If I remember correctly, my FSO said that once the SF-86 is open, it has to be completed in 30 days.
Either way, your future FSO would be the best person to ask.
Ah good to know. Thanks for that info!
I kinda figured the fingerprints part made sense to be done stateside.
Sounds like 30 days is pretty standard. Although I’ve heard from people I’ve worked on who were only given 10, 5, or even 3 days to complete the form. I’m sure that’s a company level choice but I do feel bad for someone who has to do it in 3! OPM has published that it takes people about 2 hours on average to complete it. But I don’t think that accurately counts all the time people spend trying to find the info they need! (After working in the investigations field and seeing so many SF86s, I’ve created an extensive excel doc with all the info I’m required to list on mine so that I have it all outlined in one place for the next time I have to go through the process. But I digress…)
Also, I do know that certain intelligence community employers won’t even communicate with potential new hires if they’re abroad. But I figured with a T1 role it likely wasn’t something like that.
Thank you for the information!
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