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I am 20 I have both US and UK citizenship as well as a background living in the UK with family over there. I will renounce my UK citizenship as I suspect is required.
I understand my clearance process will probably take longer than usual. At the same time, I hope that they are able to determine my eligibility at MEPS as I do not want to suddenly be denied clearance and be reclassed to an MOS that I am not interested in working in for the next 4 years.
My recruiter is confident that I wont have any issues and I have heard that the security clearance guidelines set out by ODNI for dual nationals have been relaxed somewhat ,but I am unsure how uniformly these guidelines are followed.
How is the clearance process and how common are denials and holdovers after MEPS?
I understand my clearance process will probably take longer than usual. At the same time, I hope that they are able to determine my eligibility at MEPS as I do not want to suddenly be denied clearance and be reclassed to an MOS that I am not interested in working in for the next 4 years.
My recruiter is confident that I wont have any issues and I have heard that the security clearance guidelines set out by ODNI for dual nationals have been relaxed somewhat ,but I am unsure how uniformly these guidelines are followed.
How is the clearance process and how common are denials and holdovers after MEPS?
Posted in these groups: 
Security ClearanceAdvanced Individual Training (AIT) - 35N
Career Counselor
Career Advice
Security ClearanceAdvanced Individual Training (AIT) - 35N Career Counselor Career Advice
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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Unless things have drastically changed since I retired MEPS doesn't issue clearances. You will go through the clearance submission process with your Command Security manager further down the line. They will help you with the forms and also breif you on any follow on requirements such as renouncing citizenship and things like that. Trust the process.
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John Marder
Ok, that makes sense, but do they have anyone that will do a brief overview of my situation and determine whether I'm likely to get denied , before I swear in? Because otherwise that is a significant gamble for me if I don't at least have a rough idea that I will pass.
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SSgt Christophe Murphy
John Marder - No, nobody will walk you through the clearance process at MEPs. The reason being that there isn't a Security Manager office or entity at MEPs. Anyone at MEPs trying to brief you on this is just doing it from memory and aren't operating in the official capacity of someone submitting clearances. You are overthinking this. You need to realize that clearances are pretty common. TS and TS/SCI are more on the rare side but Secret Clearances are pretty standard. With that said everyone goes through the Security Manager office and gets briefed and has their applications processed. You need to realize how common it is for dual citizens to come through. Short of you having close family ties to foreign intel threats I don't see much of an issue. Again, my information may be dated as I left the service a few years ago but I would be very surprised if MEPs is running clearances.
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MEPS won't give you a class seat for an MI MOS unless you qualify for an Interim TS. If OPM determines that you are safe to grant a TS to, then you will get the TS unless something something new is revealed in the investigation. When someone has to be reclassed out of MI because of their clearance it's almost always that they did something wrong or hid something
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If you have renounced dual citizenship, that should make things easier. The thing that might take longer than others is you likely have foreign born relatives. But it's UK which is a partner nation so it shouldn't really be an issue honestly.
The thing with OPM investigations is that they look at the whole person. The thing that takes longer for TS is they actually go and talk to the people who are your character references (people you know well). If those people aren't there, they talk to whomever is there.
I have seen people who are 35N who have foreign born relatives, who were foreign born who get TS with SCI eligibility. You should be fine as long as you have no disqualifying factors that could come up during the investigation.
When I was in basic, there was a guy who was a holdover due to his clearance (35 series but can't remember which MOS) because he had Korea foreign relatives and was born in South Korea. But I think all his relatives still lived in South Korea or something. He eventually showed up to Huachuca a month after we graduated? It ultimately depends on the investigator. But UK - I doubt you'll have issues.
All I did at MEPS is they reviewed my SF86 that my recruiter submitted. Then forward it to OPM. You should get an interim at Huachuca when you get to AIT as long as nothing comes up during the open investigation. Interim clearances are granted locally - not by MEPS. So in basic you won't even have an interim just an open investigation and then at Huachuca they grant interim.
The thing with OPM investigations is that they look at the whole person. The thing that takes longer for TS is they actually go and talk to the people who are your character references (people you know well). If those people aren't there, they talk to whomever is there.
I have seen people who are 35N who have foreign born relatives, who were foreign born who get TS with SCI eligibility. You should be fine as long as you have no disqualifying factors that could come up during the investigation.
When I was in basic, there was a guy who was a holdover due to his clearance (35 series but can't remember which MOS) because he had Korea foreign relatives and was born in South Korea. But I think all his relatives still lived in South Korea or something. He eventually showed up to Huachuca a month after we graduated? It ultimately depends on the investigator. But UK - I doubt you'll have issues.
All I did at MEPS is they reviewed my SF86 that my recruiter submitted. Then forward it to OPM. You should get an interim at Huachuca when you get to AIT as long as nothing comes up during the open investigation. Interim clearances are granted locally - not by MEPS. So in basic you won't even have an interim just an open investigation and then at Huachuca they grant interim.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
SGT (Join to see) - I thought all 35s went to Huachuca. I forgot about 35Ns going to Goodfellow. Meh. Well either way - he won't get an interim til he gets to AIT. They're granted locally not at MEPS. Everything else is correct.
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