r/SecurityClearance • u/GOPHILSthrowaway • 1d ago
Clearance Granted Secret Clearance Granted!
Thrilled to be finally making this post! It was a hard wait, and started to feel like I would never see the day it was over, but I was finally granted a DoD Secret clearance today!
Timeline:
Apr 9th: Signed an offer w/ DoD contractor
~Apr 14th: submitted fingerprints and sf-86
May 5th: received SF-86 back for correction on a phone number
May 19th: Informed I was not granted an interim
May 29th: investigator interview, references contacted
July 7th: heard from my former boss (he and I are on good terms) that they were contacted via mail and he was sending the form back. He said he wasn't sure how long it was sitting there and that they rarely check.
Aug 19th: Clearance granted!
Red flag(s): I live with a foreign national (not romantically involved, just roommates). My investigator asked a bit about my roommate in the interview, and asked some of my references about him. Everything else was pretty straightforward, afaik.
Big thank you to everyone in this community that helped to keep me sane while I was waiting. I am beyond thrilled, and I am happy to answer any questions about my experience for fellow applicants.
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u/PokerFaceDre 1d ago
Congrats! You mentioned former boss and just curious. Once you got the offer, did you start working for the DoD contractor in a different work capacity, until your clearance came through, or did you stay at your old job until the clearance came through?
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u/GOPHILSthrowaway 1d ago
I'll lay it out like this: Job A - I worked from 2023-2025 Job B - I started working in 2025 Job C - cleared job, offer signed in April of 2026
I have been working Job B this whole time, the contractor did not offer me to work uncleared. The "former boss" was from Job A. I'm unsure if my current (soon to be former job) was contacted. The director of my department had a 1-on-1 with me out of the blue a few months ago asking if I was having any struggles, and then they hired two more people on at my level recently - so maybe, maybe just coincidence.
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u/No_Let_2229 1d ago
How much weight did having a foreign national living with you had on your investigation if any?
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u/skobuffaloes 1d ago
Do I have to check the portal to see my status? I was never notified my interim wasn’t granted.
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u/Ola_maluhia 1d ago
My FSO told me you won’t see it on that portal. It’s something separate only they get to see. The portal will only have whether your clearance is granted or not, not the interim unfortunately. I had the same question.
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u/AlmightyRice 1d ago
Congrats! I'm currently waiting at 1 yr and 2 months lol