Security Clearance?
 

Can someone explainw hat they mean by security clearance? I was looking at threads on Ottawa and cam accross this:

"Be aware that such jobs in Ottawa may require a high-level security clearance, which you're unlikely to get as a non-citizen: my Secret clearance took six months and is only a limited one which doesn't give access to 'Canadian eyes only' documents... that's fine for what I do, but would probably be a big problem in a government-related job."

I have no idea what this person is talking about. :confused:

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Government security clearance...its pretty self explanatory I would have thought. Lots of government jobs in Ottawa will require CSIS backgroud checks and canadian citizenship.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

No its not self explanitory because im from the UK and ive never heard of such a thing.

Whats CSIS? How do you go about getting a security check, can this be done before arriving in Canada?

IN=n the UK you have a criminal check buts that all.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Hi,

It is reasonably common in the UK if you want to get a job that carries out government contracts and/or is a quango (like the Met Office, MOD, naval shipyard) etc. The security clearance procedure is not that far of from the police checks that are undertaken during visa application.

As for Canadian eyes only... again in the UK this is the case (but not so widely used). If you want a job with MI5 for example (who do advertise openly) then you must be a British citizen. Why government offices in Canada ask to this I don't know.

M.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

I think you're confused - we have exactly the same thing in the UK. My hubby had to work on job at Chequers (PM's country estate) that required him to get security clearance here.

If you wanted to work at Buckingham Palace or for the government, for example, you'd have to get security clearance here. It just means your background (and that of your immediate family) would be checked extensively.

It's the same in Canada, but it's a bit of a moot point as you wouldn't be eligible to do jobs that require security clearance anyway as you are not a Canadian citizen.

:)

P.S. Re your question 'what's CSIS'............http://lmgtfy.com/?q=csis+canada ;)

Re: Security Clearance?
 

So how do you go about ghetting a clearance. In the uk you can pply yourself and it only takes a few weeks. Ive heard employers have to do it in Canada and it can take up to 6-months?

Re: Security Clearance?
 

I'm not sure the citizen part is 100% correct - I believe MarkG has some kind of clearance and isn't a citizen yet, hopefully he'll see this and comment....

Probably depends upon the level of clearance required...

Re: Security Clearance?
 

No you can't - I think you're just thinking of an normal police check? An official security clearance in the UK is much more involved than that - when hubby's was done they even contacted my old school to verify I went there!

And it took months as well.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

It does depend on the level of clearance required. When I worked at the CHC I had a Canadian "Confidential" clearance, which is one below Secret. It was all I needed and I was quite happy not to be Secret. To get even that clearance, I had to provide shit loads of information and it was checked out by CSIS, the RCMP and, although I'm not meant to know this, military intelligence. The UK police and Interpol would have been consulted. Several of my Brit colleagues had Secret clearances.

Souvette has either Secret or Top Secret clearance (she could tell me which but then she'd have to kill me). There are much higher levels of clearance than Top Secret.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Several of the organisations I've worked for in the UK have required security clearance which, as Christmasoompa has said, is most definitely a step up from the normal police checks. I used to work in HR before I made the jump to IT so I got to be fairly familiar with some aspects of it from the employers perspective. In some circumstances job offers had to wait for clearance to come back, in others they could start, but with restricted access. In the UK it seemed to take anything from a few weeks to many months for the paperwork to come back.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Wikipedia never ceases to amaze me with its content:-



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_clearance

Re: Security Clearance?
 

I never worked for HM Govt. I did however work for a Foriegn National (at least thats what we will call him for now) and required the security clearance of 4 (yes four) Nation states (including the UK)

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Let me guess. Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand?

Re: Security Clearance?
 

LOL
I'd already said one was the UK.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

That would make five..including the UK;):p

Re: Security Clearance?
 

See that was my point, Souv failed to take into account I'd already named one. :p:p

Re: Security Clearance?
 

OK, OK. I'd spotted that cock-up. Did I get the right five countries, though?

And will you have to kill me, if I did?

Re: Security Clearance?
 

I read the wiki article. However can I apply myself to have a secrte security check?

Ill give an example, say im about to move over to Canada. Most employers will want a security check done but this will take for ever. So can I apply for one myself before applying for jobs and before I get to Canada saving a lot of hassle in the long run?

Re: Security Clearance?
 

I don't think you can, I think the employer has to do it for you. For example I work in the Defense sector so I had to complete a security form and my employer had to obtain references about me prior to employment. I could not have submitted my own checks - they had to do them. The only thing I could have got myself was a certificate of good conduct from the local police.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Even if you can (I doubt it), what's the point? As we've already said, jobs needing a security check will usually only be for Canadian citizens so you can't apply anyway. :blink:

Plus in all likelihood, you'd have to get the job before moving to Canada anyway - for most visas you have to get the job first.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Exactly what jobs and employers are you talking about? In general, the vast majority of employers will not require a security clearance. You seem to be worrying a lot about something that only applies to a very small number of people.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Well the type of jobs are for example, working in a hospital as an occupational therapist or working as a youth worker with children, or working in the drug related field, or with the homeless.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

You're not going to need security clearance for jobs like that! High level government jobs yes, but not a youth worker. :rofl:

A simple police check will suffice for those jobs.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

I'd like to know if your living in another country how an earth are you supposed to get to an interview and then get a job and ask them to wait a year for your visa to come through?

So I wouldn't need to get a security check if im from the UK?

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Yes. Up to Secret you can certainly get clearance if you're not a citizen, but, as I said, I'm not cleared for 'Canadian Eyes Only' documents, which are restricted to Canadian citizens. My guess is that a lot of government jobs would require dealing with such documents, so non-citizens would be at a serious disadvantage there.

I guess in theory you could get a Top Secret clearance if you're not a citizen, but among other things it requires providing references from Canadians you've known for several years and suchlike, so it seems unlikely.

As for applying for one, the company applies for you, but I believe that once you're cleared you can transfer to a different company without having to be fully checked out again. I had to get a British police check, fill out some forms including numerous details about relatives in the UK, and provide fingerprints for an RCMP check (probably because, according to Google, there's a convicted murderer in Canada with the same name as me).

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Thats a relief. Would a police check from the UK be good enough or would a canadian employer want to get one done in Canada?

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Thousands of people seem to manage it every year;) Persistance and skills in short supply here are the key. Generally if they want you they will get a temporary work permit for you to be here in a few weeks/months, then let PR take care of itself.


You would need a police certificate, not a security check, but then you need that for the residence application anyway. One from every country you have lived in going back ten years, or until your were 18. This info is in the wiki;)

What a waste of time this thread has been....

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Jay - please read the Wiki. Most people have telephone interviews - and if you read the Job Hunting section, you'll see how important it is to get out there and job hunt in person (it's all about networking in Canada).

Few people these days qualify for Skilled Worker visas without jobs (there are only 38 occupations on the list), everybody else needs arranged employment. Most employers won't wait a year for somebody to start work, which is why you need pretty specialist skills (particularly given the huge amount of Canadians out of work at the mo).

The other option, which is the route that most people go down, is to get a TWP (much quicker) and then upgrade to PR once there.

And you wouldn't need a security check at all for the types of jobs you are talking about. You still seem to be confusing a security check (high level clearance for top government jobs, background checks on entire family etc) with a simple police check. A normal police check is something you will need for your visa.

:)

Re: Security Clearance?
 

No its not been a waste of time. How can you make an assumption based on what I think? I asked the question and I found this thread useful to ME :thumbsup:

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Thanks for that. Im just trying to get a picture in my head how it works. I have the idea now. I get a police check from the UK, simple enough. Then I start looking for work and doing phone interviews, then apply for the TWP visa to get over their sharpish. Ill do more research if I decide to move their after my visit.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

No, you don't need the police check until you apply for a visa. No point applying for one early as they only have a limited shelf life (think they expire after 6 weeks or similar). So you'd only have to pay for another one anyway.

You go over there, look for work whilst there and if you get a job offer, the employer applies for the LMO (a document given by HRSDC to prove the job has been advertised across Canada and no Canadian willing, or able, to do the job has been found).

Then, once you have written confirmation of your job offer and LMO, you apply for your Temp Work Permit.

Hope that's clarified it. :)

Re: Security Clearance?
 

None of those jobs requires a security clearance. They might want a criminal background check though, esp. if working with children. A security clearance is an extremely extensive review that would be undertaken if you needed access to Classified, Secret, Top Secret etc. data (military secrets, internal government workings, nuclear reactor security, that sort of thing)

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Maybe not a waste of your time, but its been a waste of everyone elses. Turns out your problem had nothing to do with security clearance anyway, which might have been obvious if you had taken the time to read the relevent wiki before posting.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

not even close (ok Australia was close), one made no sense at all to me (at the time)

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Theres about 500 articles. Im not ET.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

I went to read the wiki article on skilled worker visa but its not there. Are they abondoning this visa or something?

See I do read the wikis but its hard when no info is available ;)

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Start here...The sticky thread at the top of the forum that say READ ME

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=499826


Follow links...its how the internet works;)


That should get you here

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...an_Immigration.

I have update the skilled worker wiki to include a link to "the List" which has superceeded it, but the link to the official CIC immigration website is there anyway.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Each of them has a different title to help you choose which one you're looking for. This may seem tricky at first but many folk quite like the system.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Failing that there is always that old standby of typing what you are looking for in the search box on the LHS:thumbup:

I find looking in the FAQs when I have a frequently asked question works too.

Re: Security Clearance?
 

Lets nip these comments in the bud before it gets out of hand. :p