5 top tips for a fast security clearance application

Here are our 5 top tips to help your application go as smoothly as possible.

1. Employment References

For CTC clearance, we require 5 years of work references; for  SC it’s 7 years. We can only take work email addresses and land line numbers, so giving us their personal email and then their mobile number really slows down the process. If you are a contractor working on site at a hospital or government site, we need the agency you worked for, not the company you were on site with.

Providing us with references@oldemployer.co.uk is fine and it’s what we normally expect, as we only need to take confirmation of employment dates.

The more references, obviously the longer it will take to process and validate.

2. Personal References

These can’t be your old bosses or work mates. They need to be friends who have known you for at least 3 years and can vouch you are a stand-up citizen. They are listed on your application.

3. Gaps in your employment

If you have been unemployed, playing golf for a couple of months or have been travelling (less than 6 months out of the country in the last 5 years), you have to let us know as we will need to validate your locations and what you have been up to. This normally comes up as an issue when taking employment references, if you have fabricated employment dates or simply have told us your location.

4. ID and Documentation

When attending the vetting and screening interview, you are required to bring ID to confirm your nationality, address, NI number and any other documentation like citizenship card, second passports etc. This is stored on our Software platform designed specifically for vetting.

We need ALL ID in place before we can submit your application. If you have a second passport, a scan of EVERY page needs to be submitted to the Home Office. If you have been naturalised and been given a passport, we also need to see the certificate of British nationality to send to the Home Office.

5. Be honest with us

If you have spent or unspent convictions, these will come up on the Enhanced DBS check. It will be down to the Home Office whether they issue the clearance depending on the type of caution and conviction, date and if they feel time has lapsed.

We have interviewed many applicants that have tried to cover up previous misdemeanours and even though the conviction was minor and wouldn’t have prevented them obtaining clearance, their dishonesty rules them out of getting the position!

If you are looking to process your staff through vetting to obtain clearance for a Home Office, MOD or MOJ contract, get in contact with the team to discuss, or call 02084464695.