jareth442

Hello,

Keen to know if anyone here has successfully passed their routine UAE security clearance (I just got a job offer in Abu Dhabi) while having debts in their home country? Admittedly, I have a loan, cc debt and have had a few blips on my repayment record etc...

Anyone out there either passed with debt, or even passed with debt and not the greatest credit history?

Feeling a bit hopeless.

Thx

mission

as far as i know whatever your monetary credit history is has no bearing on your status out here.
Any criminal activity maybe flagged up if they ask for a clearance police report.
I wouldn't worry at all.

uk_grenada

Its only of real interest to the financial world employers, if they do business with the us, i think its part of SOX compliance that they wont employ people who have bankruptcy, defaults etc. The theory is that you are at risk of being bribed or blackmailed because of tour precarious financial state.

UKMS

Really depends on what you mean by ‘security clearance’ it can differ depending on who you are working for, some companies conduct more detailed background checks than others. Also be mindful that depending on who your lenders are in the UK they can change the terms of your loan/card ‘if’ they find out a change in residency status, I’ve known people have card accounts frozen and cards cancelled if they are perceived as a risk of not making repayments because of leaving the country.

carcajou

The security check is not a financial check. It will not impact you in any way.

Please be mindful in the UAE - debt to a UAE stakeholder is a crime punishable by prison time. In your condition I would not take out ANY UAE credit cards or UAE loans.

UKMS

The pre employment background screening worldwide in my company (not a finance related company) for many positions includes financial checks in your home country.

scrubbedexpat141

If not finance related, why do they need to know?

UKMS

Integrity, trust, reputation etc etc ..... the same basic reasons that many companies dig into social media as part of pre employment screening. The financial checks are pretty high level but nevertheless are done. I would reiterate this is not specific to the UAE.

scrubbedexpat141

Interesting, so no real reason then. Must cost a fortune.

UKMS

Of course there’s a reason ... ..... if someone is in a position of high trust, a position requiring utmost integrity or any high profile position it makes perfect sense to screen them in whatever way is fit for that role. It’s all part of a hiring process, the social media side is contracted out, I assume the financial bit is as well. Hiring talent costs a lot of money anyway.

scrubbedexpat141

So it's not for everyone, just senior hires?

I've never heard of it before, digging into someone's private life. Perhaps for security reasons but not in general 'industry'.

co durham boy

Sounds like a load of old shite to me

carcajou

My understanding is OP is referring to the UAE screening check all of us go through - not a company-specific security screening. Therefore he won't be impacted.

carcajou

Scamp, this also happens in high-level government or security work. The higher up the position, the more intense the screening (the Emiratis also do this with their security checks - senior management potential hires, undergo a much more rigourous screening than others).

Often these checks, even for sensitive government roles, are sent to specialist subcontractors to do.

In today's world it is certainly normal for people to get these jobs having debt - otherwise two-thirds of the employees would vanish overnight.

In sensitive clearance positions I knew of one person about 10 years ago who got bounced for unpaid parking tickets (that was not done by the UAE or for a position in the UAE). That level of ticky-tackiness is not common, it depends on the subcontractor doing the screening, but it does happen from time to time.

carcajou

One other note - if you don't pass a UAE security check, you do not get told why, and you cannot appeal. Sometimes companies who want to back out of a hire will falsely tell applicants that they have failed the security screening and therefore can't be hired, rather than just transparently level with the applicant and back out of the hire.