Hello all. I just have a question; currently, in 2020 Q4, what is the expected/current timeline to obtaining a Top Secret Clearance and how are the days counted (investigation, EQUIP, fingerprints, etc)? I am currently going through the Top Secret clearance process and am currently in the investigation stage with my TO made end of June. Thanks!!
Dont worry about how the days are counted, because the official statistics you see on some sites reflect an imaginary time scale that has not yet been deciphered by the physicists at Cal Tech.
I did get one data point recently that some contractor applicants were getting cleared for Secret (not TS) in under six months with only a very few cases taking as long as a year. And that timeline is from the day the eQIP was submitted to the day that the company’s security officer was notified that the investigated was adjudicated and the person was eligible for access to secret stuff.
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Thank you for the insight. I do wonder if the time takes longer or not if directly with a gov agency. I will be working for Dept of State.
There is no standard answer as each case is based on the individual, what they have done, where they have lived, and many other factors that determine investigative coverage. I have seen some get done in 4 months, others take a year. DoS is NOT one of the more efficient agencies when it comes to timeliness.
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I started my Top Security Clearance investigation in Jan 2020, it wrapped up just before COVID hit. The only thing not done was the polygraph. I haven’t heard anything since. I don’t know if polygraphs have resumed?
Welcome to the club! They have resumed, I hear, but very slow.