Who is considered immediate family for security clearance?

Citizenship of yourself and “immediate” family members (spouse, children, mother, father, brothers and sisters).

Does a security clearance check family members?

Credit and criminal history checks will be conducted on all applicants. For a Top Secret security clearance, the background investigation includes additional record checks which can verify citizenship for the applicant and family members, verification of birth, education, employment history, and military history.

Can siblings affect security clearance?

Can you brothers history affect your clearance, remotely possible but not likely, can not identifying your brother on your SF-86 affect your clearance, yes. Failing to disclose information is the quickest way to get denied a security clearance.

What counts as a relative on SF-86?

Half-brother. Half-sister. Father-in-law. Mother-in-law.

Can my spouse credit affect my security clearance?

Your spouse being behind on debt payments does not have to kill your chances of obtaining a security clearance. If none of the accounts in your own name show a poor credit history or delinquency, then your spouse's poor credit will not likely affect your security clearance application.

Tips for Completing Your Security Clearance Application

How much debt is too much for security clearance?

No branch of the military has a set amount of debt that is the breaking point for security clearance. You could owe $5,000 or $50,000 and be granted or denied clearance. It's all a matter of how you deal with the debt. Responsible behavior in tackling your debt problems is considered a positive.

What will disqualify me from a secret clearance?

Financial Issues. Top secret clearance holders must have no significant financial concerns. If the background check reveals a considerable amount of debt, missed payments, tax evasion, collection judgments, check fraud, foreclosures, embezzlement or bankruptcies, your application might be rejected.

Can SF-86 be used against you?

THE LAW AND YOUR SECURITY CLEARANCE

The fact of the matter is that there really is no legal impediment to using an applicant's admissions of unreported criminal conduct against the applicant in a subsequent criminal prosecution.

Does security clearance check bank accounts?

They run a credit check and run your name and SSN through NICS. If there are problems you'll be asked to provide more information. You don't have to provide the information (such as bank statements) but the clearance process will stop if you don't provide it.

What is considered close and continuing contact?

If personnel have sexual or otherwise intimate contact on more than one occasion with the same foreign national, regardless of circumstances or likelihood for follow-up contact, the relationship must be reported as close and continuing contact, even if there is no expectation of future contact.

Can parents affect security clearance?

Unless you really are a member of a mafia family, no security clearance adjudicator will expect you to disown your family because of your brother's drug habit, your parents' under-the-table business transactions, or your cousin's gang membership.

What percentage of people get denied security clearance?

But don't lose heart – 20-30% of all interim security clearances are denied, but that is vastly different than the figure of final clearance denials, which hovers around 1%.

How long does a federal security clearance take?

Because of the high demand for the clearance system, the process is taking anywhere from four to five months. Top Secret clearance processing times are sitting around 159 days, on average. To gain Secret clearance, the process is taking around 132 days. These processing times are for industry applicants.

Will a partner's nationality threaten your security clearance?

Close contact with any foreign national is relevant for security clearance purposes if it creates a heightened risk of foreign influence, under Guideline AG ¶ 7(a). However, your spouse's foreign citizenship will not disqualify you, as a matter of law, disqualification to your clearance.

What causes a red flag on a background check?

Common background report red flags include application discrepancies, derogatory marks and criminal records.

Who has the highest level of security clearance?

The federal government provides three levels of clearance: confidential, secret, and top secret. Top secret clearance is the highest security clearance level anyone can get.

Do security clearances check Internet history?

Although security clearance background checks can be intensely thorough, the government can't view your emails, Internet browsing history, hard drive data, and other virtual assets without a subpoena or warrant.

Do security clearances look at texts?

INTERNET HISTORY, EMAILS, TEXT MESSAGES AND iCLOUD

Security clearance background investigators do not check your browsing history, read your emails, surveil your every move, bug your telephones, or photograph you commuting to work. That's just not feasible, or allowable.

Do security clearance look at social media?

"All personnel who have a security clearance or complete a Personnel Security Background Investigation for a security clearance are giving authorization to be subject to scrutiny of their social media to look for character, trustworthiness, reliability issues and foreign contacts," said Bullard.

Do clearance Investigators look at tax returns?

They cause investigators to question the applicant's reliability, trustworthiness, and ability to protect classified information. If the individual requests a hearing, they should produce evidence that they have tackled the problem and filed all of their state and federal tax returns that are late.

Do they check taxes for security clearance?

Section 26 of the SF-86 application for federal security clearances specifically asks applicants if they have failed to file federal, state or other taxes in the past seven years.

What questions are asked for a top secret clearance?

Questions about experience and background

Can you tell me about your law enforcement experience? Have you ever held a security clearance before? Have you ever had access to classified or top-secret information before? What do you consider your most important technical skills?

What can ruin a security clearance?

In fact, one common area that can be troublesome on a background check is financial behavior that indicates the applicant is frequently over-extended on credit, personal debt, etc. Having too much debt and not enough income creates a potential circumstance where a security clearance application can be disqualified.

Do all top secret clearances require a polygraph?

Polygraph tests accompany some Top Secret or TS/SCI clearances; however, they are not required to obtain either type of clearance and are not part of the clearance background investigation.

What are the 5 levels of security clearance?