Feyhera

Cool! Thanks, I'm still looking. And I did read the other two threads. Can't say as it cleared things up, I have to say. But, I'll just keep plugging away and continue to check back here.

Thanks again,
Feyhera

Noorah101

There probably isn't just one particular answer for you. The level of security clearance needed will depend on the job description. You can assume he will need to be a USC to get most security clearances. He can retain his French citizenship. Note that some jobs might need him to NOT have any other citizenships. In my layman's opinion, the requirements will all be job-specific.

Rene

Bob

A greencard holder can get clearance, but it wouldn't be a level high enough to do anything but clean the toilets.

Once you get USC you'll more than likely get a higher level of clearance.

The problem is if you want to get a higher level because that might require you to renounce other citizenships, but having ties to those countries could still mean not getting the clearance, such as still having friends/family or other ties to the other country.

So worth looking into what level of clearance you'll need for the type of work you'll want to work on and you'll only find that out by asking the places your interested in.

Rete

My husband at the time was a Canadian Citizen only and he had high security clearance to work on nuclear weapontry computers for the USAF. Plus he had the same clearance from Canada. This was accomplished only because he was a member of the RCAF at the time. It also gave us lots of headaches during immigration processing due to all the security checks and hits his name got.

Feyhera

Extreeeeeemely interesting... thanks, fatbrit! I've already read most of it, but there's a lot there to digest. I'll let you know how it goes.

rivit

I can relate to this a little. When i still had my green card i had to deliver a trailer load of roofing material to Norfolk Naval Ship Yard in VA, when they asked me at the guard shack if i was a US citzen i said no but i showed them my green card and they still would'nt let me in.

caleyjag

Depends.

If he works for a national lab, the level of clearance required depends on which parts of the campus he needs to be in to do his job.

You can work for the government at, say, Livermore, on a J1 for certain projects. You just won't be touching the nuclear weapons.

I am not sure if Boeing et al operate a similar system of localized security.


I think there is a reasonably well-worn path of starting off as a J1 or H1 in a national lab and then getting your citizenship later on in order to access other parts of the lab and other projects, once they notice your mad skillz and conclude you are not a spy.

penguinsix

The whole security clearance thing is like a scale. There are things that tip it to the negative and things that tip it to the positive. By and large, foreign 'connections' (citizenship, residence overseas, foreign nationals as friends, communication with foreigners) is a MAJOR negative and will drop down your 'score' a considerable amount. So are the other things like drug use, debts, gambling, anti-American statements, weird sex stuff, etc. Those all score negatively.

Lying on the application is a 100% rejection, no if ands or buts.

There are positive things too--US citizenship, US family, growing up here, no drugs, no drink, and then experiences like 'speaks the dialect of the tribe currently holding Osama bin Laden' or 'knows the secret sauce of nuclear weapons triggers' etc.

In the end they do a balancing up. For most foreigners, just being a non-American or a non-American born citizen is too much of a hurdle to clear. They are starting from such a negative position even a personal call from the PM to the President on their behalf would still not tip the scales. For most 'jobs that require clearance' it's just a non-starter--the company will have no interest in you if you haven't a chance in hell of getting the clearance.

While there are exceptions, we're talking a really tiny fraction of a percent here. It's really quite small and not worth planning your career / relocation on getting.

There are some things he might get lucky on, such as the working on the F-35 JSF which is supposed to be produced between the US and some NATO allies (long drawn out and boring story about 'cooperation' on the construction of that plane). But really, if he can't get a job in the civilian aerospace field, time to consider something else.

ironporer

Odd that the current POTUS was able to get one then...with those criteria.