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CT Clearance - Civil Service Pre-employment Checks

Hi,

I am thinking of applying for a role which requires counter-terrorism clearance. It says that for this level 'in most cases' you need to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years.

I am a UK citizen and have lived here all my life. However, I worked in the US for 6 months (as an intern on a temporary visa) during this past year. I came home after 3 months for about 10 days so was not there continuously.

Do you think this will be a problem for the security check? Or does the comment about being resident in the UK for the past 3 years not apply to UK citizens? I am not even sure if I would count as 'not being resident' while I was in the US as I still had a UK address.

I would be so, so grateful for any advice/similar experiences etc. Thank you!
Reply 1
Avatar for paddy25
paddy25
10
Hi,

Can't help you too much I'm afraid, so am sorry to weigh in without contributing, but funnily enough I just decided to check on TSR to search for further info on the very same thing. I am applying for a lot of roles right now, and have interviewed for a few that require CTC. However, sounds like you'd have fewer problems than me as I spent the last year and a half living in Africa...Came home at Christmas and a couple of other times, which is pretty much the only reason why I think I could have a shot at all - doubt it though.

So my hopes of being able to get clearance are pretty low, but I think you should have a good chance. I'm not knowledgeable about this at all, so take what I say with more than a pinch of salt, but as I understand it, they need you to have been resident for that period of time in order to conduct meaningful checks, for which a certain "footprint" is probably necessary. Sounds like you'd be okay in that sense, as I doubt your time would prevent them from collecting enough data about you.

That said, I might be entirely wrong and it could be that any period away within those three years makes it impossible for them to be sure about you, according to their procedures. Happy to be corrected by anyone who knows more than I do about how it all works.

PS: Additional but potentially relevant point, in case anyone can shed any further light - I found out last year that for the fast stream diplomatic service, despite successful candidates needing to passed developed vetting clearance, which is the highest level, they say that you only need to have been present in the UK for 2 out of the last 10 years, which seems like a bit of an anomaly.

Anyway, sorry if I've hijacked that a bit, hope someone can weigh in with a bit more info!
Reply 2
Avatar for BT2018
BT2018
OP
3
Thanks very much for your reply! Reassuring to hear. Have since got some more information from friends in the CS and apparently it's done on a case-by-case basis so hard to make sweeping statements.

I found some extra info via a cabinet office job advert, though. It says - "Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally require 3 years’ UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement but supplementary checks may be required where individuals have not lived in the UK for the required period. This may mean that your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible."

Hopefully that is helpful for you and gives you a bit more hope!
They may grant a residency waiver for less than 12 months abroad in a friendly country when you have otherwise always been in the UK. A year and half in Africa is unlikely though unless that time was spent (you or immediate family you're moving because of) working for UK Gov. Entirely down to the department managing the vetting risk. They may think they have enough quality candidates that don't require a waiver that they won't bother. I would suggest emailing the relevant recruitment team and asking before spending time applying/interviewing.
Original post by paddy25
Hi,

Can't help you too much I'm afraid, so am sorry to weigh in without contributing, but funnily enough I just decided to check on TSR to search for further info on the very same thing. I am applying for a lot of roles right now, and have interviewed for a few that require CTC. However, sounds like you'd have fewer problems than me as I spent the last year and a half living in Africa...Came home at Christmas and a couple of other times, which is pretty much the only reason why I think I could have a shot at all - doubt it though.

So my hopes of being able to get clearance are pretty low, but I think you should have a good chance. I'm not knowledgeable about this at all, so take what I say with more than a pinch of salt, but as I understand it, they need you to have been resident for that period of time in order to conduct meaningful checks, for which a certain "footprint" is probably necessary. Sounds like you'd be okay in that sense, as I doubt your time would prevent them from collecting enough data about you.

That said, I might be entirely wrong and it could be that any period away within those three years makes it impossible for them to be sure about you, according to their procedures. Happy to be corrected by anyone who knows more than I do about how it all works.

PS: Additional but potentially relevant point, in case anyone can shed any further light - I found out last year that for the fast stream diplomatic service, despite successful candidates needing to passed developed vetting clearance, which is the highest level, they say that you only need to have been present in the UK for 2 out of the last 10 years, which seems like a bit of an anomaly.

Anyway, sorry if I've hijacked that a bit, hope someone can weigh in with a bit more info!

Hello! Were you able to get the clearance?

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