What are my chances of getting a Security Clearance

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Hi All, I currently have an offer where I can accept the job offer and be submitted for a Security Clearance, however I have a few red flags that I am worried about. How likely am I to receive this clearance?

RED FLAGS

Foreign Travel

  1. Taiwan - 2019 - 1 month
  2. Indonesia - 2023, 2024 - 2 weeks each
  3. Japan - 2023 - 1 week

Family/Foreign Contacts

  1. Spouse is foreign from Indonesia
  2. Constant contact with father in law, mother in law, and 2 brothers of spouse

Address

  1. Homeless for 3 months - November 2024 to present

Last drug use

  1. Adderall - twice - 5 years
  2. LSD - twice - 4 years ago
  3. 2CB twice - 3 years ago
  4. Shrooms - 4 years ago
  5. MDMA - twice - 5 years ago
  6. Weed - 50 times - 4 years ago

Mitigation: Have not used in 3 years. Am committed to not using in the future.

Drug Purchase

  1. Purchased weed from legal dispensary - 4 years ago
  2. Purchased 2CB/LSD - 3 years ago

Finance

  1. 7 late payments on student loans - 1 year ago
  2. 1 charge back on credit card, paid off - 1 year ago

Mitigation - Have been on time since I have gotten a job no late payments

Jobs

  1. Got fired from job in 2022 for ghosting without notice
  2. Got fired in 2024 for performance issues

Given my red flags, how likely am I to receive a clearance?

2

Oye! Well for as long as that list is, the only major blocker I see (I’m not an adjudicator so… grain of salt), is the repeated use of illegal drugs. Simply swearing them off may not be enough. You might need more time and drug rehab or something similar to mitigate.

As long as you have reasonable explanations (like sudden loss of employment, etc) for the rest, that stuff is not automatic denial. Best of luck.

3

Much like the previous comment, I’m neither an adjudicator, nor investigator, just someone who’s been recently through that whole circus and who’s got friends in the IC/security community,

I do agree about the drug use. That might be a show stopper. Reg the other items:

Your spouse - she/he does have a US citizenship, correct? If not, that-especially combined with everything else you listed-is a hundred percent no go.

Finances - the top reason why people get denied (someone posted recent stats here somewhere if you care to search): homelessness plus past delinquencies will raise serious issues about your financial stability.

Overall, each agency is different in how they view and assess risk so it depends where you applied and what level clearance is required. I would definitely caution against the notorious 3-letter agencies here because they’re most likely to deny you. Either way, get ready for some very unpleasant and lengthy polygraph sessions if you’re going for TS. Good luck!

4

Look up the SEAD 4 Adjudicative Guidelines.

1 Like