What’s a practical mitigation action that an FSO would suggest to increase chances of getting clearance when you have yearly travel to your dual citizenship country and daily contact with parents there?

Is renouncing a must to be 100% guaranteed? Or just stating is enough.

I read that you would have to prove parents over there are private citizens (not government related) how do you practically do that? Like what’s acceptable as a proof?

So I got a interim clearance, I am born outside US. I grow up knowing one person from young age till now. I included them in my clearance, but over the years I have had contact to my other family members due to my parents. I got a big family so do I need to include all these people? I already got interim and if I go outside US, I will eventually meet all these people etc.. so I do I need to let them know now or when I go out of country?

Hey everyone,

I am nearing the end of the hiring process for the USSS and all I have remaining is my BI. I have had some previous admin errors with my application being put on hold by my background investigator for military orders the day my BI started and my application not being taken off a military hold upon return from my military orders until I reached out to the support email 1.5 months later. So I am somewhat concerned my BI just fell to the bottom of the pile. I have reached out to the individual who initially notified me of the start of my BI and I have received no response to the couple emails I sent. Additionally, I have not had an initial zoom call with my BI despite being notified my BI started nearly 6 months ago.

My questions are:

Has anybody had a TS Clearance cleared through USSS without receiving a initial zoom call with the BI?

What do you recommend doing in this situation?

Thanks in advance.

i filed my taxes on time and paid them always. 0 irs issues except the one im now in. I have great financials otherwise, no delinquencies, 800 credit score.

life got hectic, I was irresponsible. I failed to file my schedule c for the last 4 years. the income impact is minimal, about $3k/yr with potential one year being a loss after deductions, but that doesn’t minimize the actual act of not being diligent. in my “excitement” (read: stress) of finally doing my sf86 i got to the tax question and said fuck no I’ve always paid and about a week ago it hit me like a brick wall that I haven’t done my schedule c in years.

obviously the best mitigation is to amend with a cpa and bring this up promptly to my investigator, but any additional input would be appreciated, except the standard smart assery.

Obviously I couldn’t start the internship.

I’m looking at a three letter agency internship that has a summer internship (requiring TS/SCI) with application deadlines at the end of September.

I’m a dual citizen born and raised in the US and have never lived in any other country. One parent is foreign born and a naturalized US citizen. The other lived in the other country for about 8 years and became a citizen during that time. The country is a US ally with mandatory military service meaning half of my family has served in the foreign military, many are still in the reserves.

With that so, I’m not optimistic about getting cleared with an about 8-9 month turn around. If I get the job and am not cleared in time for the start date, do they just stop the investigation? Would they continue investigating and I could be eligible for the internship the next summer?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

E.g. a soldier goes on a 1 week work trip to Europe for a NATO exercise. Since this was a military trip and not unofficial travel does this still get reported as foreign travel on the SF-86?

Does anyone know whether U.S. Border Patrol generally grants reciprocity for an active Department of State Top Secret clearance that was granted under a year ago? I also fall under the veteran exemption for the poly.

I currently hold an active State Department TS clearance and am considering applying. I’m trying to figure out whether they would accept the existing clearance or if they typically require a new background investigation regardless. I am already going through a new clearance with 2 other federal LE Agencies and don't want to add a third if possible. I thought all agencies were forced to accept other clearances but I thought wrong.

How are things affected if I was recently granted my interim secret clearance for a company. Looking at taking different job that also requires interim secret to start. Does my interim get reset and does the overall timeline for my secret clearance change if I switch to a new company while going through secret clearance process?

Recently got my TS suspended with an agency due to an off duty incident. The off duty issue was resolved and dismissed in court. I resigned before investigation was concluded. I am reapplying to a different agency and I have disclosed the on the SF-86 of the issue. What will happen and will I be allowed to work as a federal law enforcement officer again ?

I have a juvenile record from over 8 years ago, the record was fully dismissed, no findings of guilt and sealed and expunged do yall think that would be an issue getting a TS?BTW I have no other records and have an active secret clearance. And yes I am going to fully disclose it

If you have a S with DoD, and going to a TS with DS is there any clue at a time estimate or comparison? If i understand correctly DS does theirs internally. I have zero foreign contacts and raised my credit score considerably since my DoD secret was granted. Other than that I do not "think" I have any red flags that any agency would think to look into. I already updated my SF86 a couple of weeks ago and estimate DS would start looking at it in approximately a month.

I’m going through a new Secret investigation for a DoD contractor position. Timeline:

05/05/2026: Offer accepted
06/09/2026: SF-86 submitted
06/18/2026: Interim clearance not granted
07/01/2026: DCSA investigator interview
08/31/2026: Received this from my prospective employer: “Congratulations! You have met all offer contingencies for your new role, and we are ready to set your start date.”

They gave me three September start dates.

My clearance was the main outstanding offer contingency. I haven’t received an explicit notification saying “your clearance has been granted,” though.

My questions for you:

1. Do you think I got my Secret clearance?
2. Will I ever receive any document whatsoever related to my adjudication? Can I check my case somehow?
3. Should I ask my employer directly to confirm the clearance was granted?

Hi guys, while waiting for my T5 investigation results(any moment now according to the ATS), I have been offered another position at my current work place that pays a little bit better than that what my cleared position will be offering me.

My current commute is 15 minutes at most and if I take this cleared position, it will be over an hour one way each day. This sounds like a no brainer but I’m also nervous in the future if I was to apply again, this organization would not sponsor me/“blacklist” me. Is this sort of thing common? Has anyone else had this type of experience?

I don’t want this to backfire on me and I guess I’m a people pleaser in some ways haha. Just wanted some feedback on what seems to be tricky situation in my head. Thank you!

- Received offer by defense contractor April 28th
- Accepted offer May 5th
- Submitted SF86 May 24th
- Short interview with investigator for some clarification in the application (nothing major) - June 4th
- Interim granted June 13th
- First day with contractor - July 13th
- Final clearance granted - August 24th

Entire family from Mexico.
First generation student
Lived in Mexico my entire life (border city) and with parents
No criminal record
No drug use
No alcohol abuse
Voted in Mexican Elections once
40k in student loans
10K in credit card debt
20K car loan
However, never missed a payment

I dont want to get into politics, but sometimes I wonder what interviews and forms look like for the billionaires that are cleared. Like, they must have whole teams of people filling them out, can you imagine what their foreign contact sheets look like??

Idk if anybody can shed some light on this to satisfy my shower thought lol, its gotta be a multi year affair.

Timeline:
-5/1/26: applied
-6/15/26: interview
-8/4/26: offer accepted
-8/23/26: SF-86 submitted
-8/31/26: Interim granted, start date given

Red flags:
-6k in debt from an emergency root canal.
-3 years of unpaid car taxes that I paid while filling out SF-66.
-Expired 45 day restraining order over a financial dispute with no judgment/admittance of guilt.
-Marijuana use 3 years ago.

I am absolutely shocked that I received an interim, I figured there was no way with my red flags.

Hi guys! I am a recent engineering graduate, and got a job at a defense contractor. I am a tad worried about my security clearance; it’s the only thing going for me right now lol.

My teens were not easy. I separated from my parents, whom have been pretty harmful in my life. It was severe enough that my University determined I was an independent on the FAFSA, under the “unsafe to be around” clause.

Here are some things I’m worried about on the SF-86:

- Tried THC gummies on my 21st birthday in a state where it’s legal. I got sick, and noted it was discontinued.

- Hospitalization for suicide attempt at 14.

- Hospitalization for anxiety attack, and needed help organizing care after my first semester at school and away from my parents at age 18.

- Got harassed at my most recent job. My manager reported it to HR, who then managed me out. There was a huge company-wide statement on harassment after. In the documentation somewhere, it notes I was undergoing PTSD treatment and needed time off, which he shared with them, somewhere I’m described as “volatile.” 😅 My coworkers have expressed that it was pretty bad, and that they didn’t have that experience with me. The environment was deeply hostile to other people. But complicated nonetheless.

- I worry about them contacting an abusive ex-boyfriend somehow.

I’ve been in psychiatry and therapy for a long time, and have a clean record otherwise. I listed references of those who’ve seen me at my usual, and they stated they’d love to be a reference.

But yeah. Not ideal. I am 24, and have been out of school for about a year. I’m really worried how this will go. Thank you guys for any and all input. I’m still looking for other jobs bc I don’t want to get my hopes up. But yeah.

Edit: the clearance lv. in question is “Secret”

I may need to submit a PSQ for work in the coming weeks. I thought this was a pretty straight forward process for the most part (as much as one can be anyways). However - I have seen 2 versions of the form recently. One was all questions resolving to the last completed investigation or CV date, and the other on Q4 (personal conduct) has an "ever" question similar to the SF86. Which one I fill out doesn't make a big difference - nothing I would be presenting hasn't been previously disclosed or adjudicated - it just seems interesting to me. Does this mean different programs potentially use one or the other depending on their requirements and guidelines? Just curious as to the discrepancy. Many thanks in advance.

Hello!

Pretext: I currently have a secret clearance through the DOD, SF86 filled out at the end of last year. I have a few concerns and need to know the objective risks involved in this decision, preferably advice from adjudicators and investigators. I have the option to accept a job offer that requires permanent TS adjudication

Current:

-Filled out SF86, did not disclose an eviction, debt collection account and civil court FOR that eviction due to rushing the form and forgetting.

-Debt collection account wasn't on my credit report all year due to me disputing it with ALL the credit companies

-PAID that collection account last week, will most likely show back up on my credit report as paid

-Have the option to accept a job that requires a TS clearance

-Not on the lease and living with my wife

Concerns:

-Will the collection account being paid in full trigger CE in some way? will it cause an investigation and revocation of my clearance?

-If I fill out a new SF86 and disclose all of this, will the TS clearance get denied? will they understand that I legitimately forgot and rushed the prior SF86?

Thank you in advance guys, super worried about this situation.

Hi! All of my debt is in collections. I am working with a non-profit company. They are offering a debt management plan or a debt resolution plan.

Which one looks better? Does it just matter if I am making an effort either way.

The resolution plan lets me pay half of the debts and it’s only 12 months.

The management one is missing one account the investigator asked about and will take 27 months.

I would rather do resolution. But don’t want them to think I am trying to get out of the debt. Just trying to clear it fast.

Thanks

Hi everyone,

So I recently accepted a job offer and original start date was supposed to be in June. But they just told me they’re still confirming my start date due to the work requiring atleast an interim clearance.

I actually got interim July but I still have not been given a start date. They first said they were waiting on government approvals and now they're saying they're waiting for the contract with an agency and it should be another month.

I guess my question is do you guys think theres a possibility my job offer will be rescinded ? And should I look for other jobs especially since I have interim clearance? Thanks

I’ll try to make this quick:

Currently working on SF85 clearance.

I was “adjudicated unfavorable” for a position that required an SF85 in Jan 2020. I disclosed recent (~3 months, so 2019) marijuana use prior to the paperwork. I did not appeal.

For my current SF85, there are two points that trip me up:

• drug use in the past 7 years: I think it’s been almost exactly 7 years since the date I listed in my first SF85. Probably within a month though I can’t remember the exact date I put down. Haven’t done anything since. Should I still say yes to this?

• denied or suspended clearance: I’m not fully sure on this one, but I would assume the answer is yes due to the prior adjudication. I don’t know what is deemed a denial vs unsuitability claim. I did receive some mail saying due to my answer on the question that I was adjudicated unfavorable and did not meet security requirements.

Should I answer yes on both of these?

This just seems like a double whammy that would severely impact my chances at this current SF85. Had I waited 2 more months I could confidently say no to the 7 year drug usage question.

I don’t know if it helps, but I’ve since worked for 2 other federal agencies though they didn’t require clearance.

Told myself while worrying for a month, I would do this.

8/4 - submitted SF86 to FSO
8/24 - FSO submitted to Government
8/28 - Granted interim clearance

Now I am in the full investigation, but I was really concerned for interim because my offer was contingent on it.

RED FLAGS (at least not green flags if that makes sense)

- Parent born in 5 eyes country
- 1 foreign contact (Ally)

Will also update when I am granted the full clearance.

I am curious if a company ready to award a written offer for a position requiring a clearance will run preliminary check on the DISS database to ensure the existence of a clearance, or at least, to verify that the clearance is in process? Otherwise, will a rely on the candidate’s word despite the sunk cost in reaching this juncture and only verify the clearance after the offer sign off where the company takes ownership/reciprocity?

From My understanding Public Trust clearance is per job & can not be used to discriminate against applicants. However, I'm sure we've all had a recruiter falsely claim that they're allowed prevent applications for federal jobs, from people that have not previously had a Public Trust. You know, the standard anti-trust violation of limiting competition to only those that previously had a Public Trust.

A search online recommend the OPM which is basically Human Resources for the Government.

Has anyone tried to report these vendors for Recruitment violations?