government clearance Forum

[Anonymous User]

how long does government clearance take for the doj? or sec?

[Anonymous User]

+1

What criteria is used to deny clearance?

[Patriot1208]

what clearance level? What is the job?

[gdin]

sec summer honors program

[Patriot1208]

For doj summer I believe it is just the standard.background check which doesn't take more than a month or two, sec is probably the same

[gdin]

i've been waiting since mid feb and still don't have it...

[Patriot1208]

i've been waiting since mid feb and still don't have it...

Well it will depend on the backlog and your history. The SEC is understaffed and underfunded in comparison with the doj. Also, if you have a lot of foreign travel or some sketchy stuff in your past it will take longer. But, two months isn't unreasonable still. I waited eight months for my TS.

[03121202698008]

Both investigations are done by OPM so what really matters is the priority of the job, your background, and what level of clearance requested.

Edit: I used to be a security manager in charge of clearances with the DOD. The investigations are all the same, and done by the same people. The applicable standards at adjudication are what differ. (E.g. how many times smoked pot, etc.)

[gdin]

well its for a summer internship so i want to make sure i get clearance before summer....

[dood]

1 month. drugs will fuck u over. dont do them and dont admit to any past use. hth.

[Anonymous User]

What about stuff before you were 18? Including some drug use and minor class c misdemeanor.

[Anonymous User]

um i have no drug history and this is for a summer internship

[shyde32]

What about stuff before you were 18? Including some drug use and minor class c misdemeanor.

My clearance isn't for SEC so I can't speak to it specifically, but unless the form specifically states to exclude things that happened as a minor, I wouldn't lie.

You shouldn't freak out though. I have friends who got TS clearances who admitted to doing drugs, and not just pot. It depends on the agency as to what's considered acceptable, and I don't imagine a place like the SEC would be too much of a stickler.

[Anonymous User]

how long did it take for your clearance? was it for summer

[shyde32]

how long did it take for your clearance? was it for summer

My clearance isn't particularly high, but I remember it taking 2-3 months (it was a couple of years ago). I imagine SEC will be similar. And no, it was not a summer clearance.

Can't say I'm a total expert on the subject, but happy to answer more questions.

[Anonymous User]

just getting worried i wont have my clearance in time for my summer job it started in feb

[Patriot1208]

just getting worried i wont have my clearance in time for my summer job it started in feb

I wouldn't worry about that, they can get out a waiver to start work if need be. But i've never heard of the summer check taking more than three months.

[Anonymous User]

I am 0L but interested in this too. I am aiming for DHS/DoJ/CIA, etc honors program. Lots of international travel, the most concerning of which was in one of the arab countries (for a government program) that just had a revolution, so a lot of people i know protested etc, some of it on my facebook. I also had a pretty tough childhood with use of drugs and a lot of trouble at school but no charges. Since then, I have smoked pot etc on very rare occasions and stopped completely for the last 4 years. Also, what about internet searches (i.e., streaming TV from bootleg websites). Do you think this will pose a problem for clearances? At what level would I be concerned?

[shyde32]

I am 0L but interested in this too. I am aiming for DHS/DoJ/CIA, etc honors program. Lots of international travel, the most concerning of which was in one of the arab countries (for a government program) that just had a revolution, so a lot of people i know protested etc, some of it on my facebook. I also had a pretty tough childhood with use of drugs and a lot of trouble at school but no charges. Since then, I have smoked pot etc on very rare occasions and stopped completely for the last 4 years. Also, what about internet searches (i.e., streaming TV from bootleg websites). Do you think this will pose a problem for clearances? At what level would I be concerned?

I have heard of people getting denied clearance for traveling in a foreign country; the important thing for you is that your travel can be verified. On every clearance I've ever heard of (and this will definitely be true for national security/intelligence clearances), you will be asked to tell them every country you've ever traveled to. You'll also have to provide contact information for someone who can vouch for your whereabouts, especially in a country that will raise a red flag. Since you were on a government program, that shouldn't be a problem, but make sure you're able to do this for everywhere else you've been. I know of one instance of a person getting denied because the government couldn't verify a few weeks of travel.

The drug use issue gets a lot of people worried, for obvious reasons. As a general rule, there are two things that will determine how strict they will be in my experience. First, how close are they to the drug war? So, no surprise, DEA is the strictest, followed by FBI. Both of those agencies are housed in Justice, but other parts of Justice might be more lenient. Second, how close are they to the military? I think this has less to do with the policy goals of the agency and more to do with the general culture of the place, but DoD can sometimes take a harder line. DHS is a new department which brought together a lot of disparate agencies, so I don't really know how their culture works. I do know that the civilian intelligence agencies like CIA are supposed to be fairly lenient. And, finally, I think most places will look somewhat kindly on your situation because you haven't used much since you were an adult.

I wouldn't worry too much about downloading things illegally from the internet, although again, don't lie if asked. This is especially true since the jobs you're pursuing might require a polygraph. Finally, if there's anything on your Facebook you wouldn't want them to see, DELETE IT. You have to assume they will check.

[Rotor]

For most clearances (Confidential or Secret) OPM typically does a "National Agency check." Basically NAC is an agency check for arrests, but also normally includes a credit check. (Looking to see if you are financially vulnerable to selling secrets).

The key is to be 100% truthful on your application. The only folks I've known to lose their clearances were due to misrepresentations about credit history.

And as for the "how long" question, unfortunately only the investigating and adjudicating agencies can tell you that. As someone said, it depends on the backlog (which two years ago was pretty substantial, but improving). My guess is that no one will need a TS for the summer (too expensive/resource intensive for administering) and so agencies should be able to grant an interim clearance until the final comes through.

[03121202698008]

You don't need your actual clearance for summer. Once they open you up and perform the preliminary credit check, they can issue you an interm clearance that will give you access until your clearance is completed. Happens all the time.

However, they cannot grant an interim if you have terrible credit or other factors on the SF 86 that may prevent the granting of a clearance.

[Anonymous User]

i dont have bad credit or any criminal history or any tickets etc but ive been waiting for a long time and wondering what the hold up is.

[pre-law]

clearance for USAO internships lasts 1-3 months

[Anonymous User]

I am 0L but interested in this too. I am aiming for DHS/DoJ/CIA, etc honors program. Lots of international travel, the most concerning of which was in one of the arab countries (for a government program) that just had a revolution, so a lot of people i know protested etc, some of it on my facebook. I also had a pretty tough childhood with use of drugs and a lot of trouble at school but no charges. Since then, I have smoked pot etc on very rare occasions and stopped completely for the last 4 years. Also, what about internet searches (i.e., streaming TV from bootleg websites). Do you think this will pose a problem for clearances? At what level would I be concerned?

I have heard of people getting denied clearance for traveling in a foreign country; the important thing for you is that your travel can be verified. On every clearance I've ever heard of (and this will definitely be true for national security/intelligence clearances), you will be asked to tell them every country you've ever traveled to. You'll also have to provide contact information for someone who can vouch for your whereabouts, especially in a country that will raise a red flag. Since you were on a government program, that shouldn't be a problem, but make sure you're able to do this for everywhere else you've been. I know of one instance of a person getting denied because the government couldn't verify a few weeks of travel.

The drug use issue gets a lot of people worried, for obvious reasons. As a general rule, there are two things that will determine how strict they will be in my experience. First, how close are they to the drug war? So, no surprise, DEA is the strictest, followed by FBI. Both of those agencies are housed in Justice, but other parts of Justice might be more lenient. Second, how close are they to the military? I think this has less to do with the policy goals of the agency and more to do with the general culture of the place, but DoD can sometimes take a harder line. DHS is a new department which brought together a lot of disparate agencies, so I don't really know how their culture works. I do know that the civilian intelligence agencies like CIA are supposed to be fairly lenient. And, finally, I think most places will look somewhat kindly on your situation because you haven't used much since you were an adult.

I wouldn't worry too much about downloading things illegally from the internet, although again, don't lie if asked. This is especially true since the jobs you're pursuing might require a polygraph. Finally, if there's anything on your Facebook you wouldn't want them to see, DELETE IT. You have to assume they will check.

Very informative response. Thanks.

[Sup Kid]

i've been waiting since mid feb and still don't have it...

Considering you won't be starting for presumably another month, calm down. They have summer programs every year, they do their hiring at the same time every year, and they always get the checks done. As others have mentioned, you can get an interim clearance, but really the probability is very high that it'll be done completely before you start. For all you know, the agency already received your clearance and just hasn't told you yet. Again, calm down, get ready for finals, and don't worry about things you can't control.