Completing your security clearance paperwork — typically the Standard Form 86 (SF-86) or eApp is a major step in obtaining or renewing your clearance. However, that’s just the beginning. Once your forms have been reviewed, you may be contacted by a security clearance investigator for an in-person or virtual interview.
What to Expect After Submitting Your Forms
This stage can feel daunting, but it is a necessary part of the security clearance process. Here’s what you can expect.
1. Purpose of the Interview
The investigator’s primary job is to verify the information you provided in your security clearance application and to fill in any gaps. It is also important for investigators to inquire about information that they have which appears contrary to the information provided in your forms. While these security forms are comprehensive, it’s not unusual for follow-up questions to arise about your employment history, foreign contacts, financial situation, or any potential security concerns.
The interview is also your opportunity to clarify inaccuracies, explain unusual circumstances, and provide additional context that may not fit neatly into the form’s checkboxes. Also, if you made a mistake or omission in completing your security clearance forms, it is important to inform the investigator before the start of the interview. If you raise the correction before an investigator brings up a discrepancy, you may get credit and avoid a claim of candor/honesty in completion of the forms.
2. How the Meeting Is Scheduled
After your form is processed, the federal agency involved, e.g., the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) or a contracted investigator will contact you to arrange the interview.
- Location: This could be at your workplace, a government office, a secure facility, or occasionally a virtual meeting if permitted.
- Timeframe: It’s generally scheduled within 2-4 weeks (this can vary) after your paperwork is submitted, but delays are possible depending on agency workload.
- Notice: You’ll usually receive several days’ notice, but urgent scheduling can happen.
3. What to Expect During the Interview
A typical subject interview lasts between 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the complexity of your background. Again, this can vary depending on circumstances.
Common areas of discussion include:
- Personal Background: Verification of identifying information, places you’ve lived, and educational history.
- Employment History: Clarifying dates, positions, and reasons for leaving prior jobs.
- Financial Issues: Addressing debts, bankruptcies, late payments, or tax matters.
- Foreign Contacts and Travel: Discussing relationships or business interests abroad.
- Criminal or Legal Matters: Reviewing any arrests, charges, or civil litigation.
- Substance Use: Questions about past or present alcohol and drug use.
Investigators are trained to ask for specifics and to seek explanations for anything that might suggest a vulnerability to coercion or undue influence. The also try to clarify any discrepancies that they come across in the security clearance submission and information that they have.
4. Your Role as the Subject
Be truthful, complete, and consistent with your answers. This is not the time to withhold information you think “might not matter.” Investigators appreciate candor — even if the facts are uncomfortable — more than omissions that surface later. There is a caveat to this. If you may be disclosing criminal information or something that might place you in legal jeopardy, please contact legal counsel first to discuss your options.
Bring supporting documents if you believe they will clarify issues, such as proof of debt repayment, court records, or travel itineraries.
5. Your Rights in the Process
You are not under criminal investigation, and you are entitled to:
- Request clarification of questions you don’t understand. Investigators generally have no issue with this.
- Decline to answer questions outside the scope of the clearance inquiry or if significant criminal issues arise (though refusal to provide relevant information could affect the outcome).
- Potentially bring counsel with you, although this is not always permitted or recommended.
The best advice is to answer directly, be honest, avoid speculation, and stick to facts. If a question concerns a sensitive matter, you’d like to discuss with counsel first, you may request a pause or reschedule the interview.
6. After the Interview
The investigator will compile a report based on your interview and other sources (such as reference checks and public records). You won’t receive immediate feedback. The adjudication process occurs separately, often months later. If follow-up questions arise, the investigator or another representative may contact you again for clarification.
Final Thoughts
Meeting with a security clearance investigator can be an unfamiliar and sometimes stressful experience, but it’s simply one part of the security clearance process. Preparation, honesty, and composure are your best tools. Think of the meeting not as an interrogation, but as a professional conversation aimed at verifying your suitability for access to sensitive information.
If you have concerns about how to handle certain topics (security concerns, criminal issues), consult with legal counsel before your interview. A lawyer familiar with clearance law can help you address potential problem areas proactively, improving your chances of a smooth adjudication.
