Over before we've begun :(

[LauraDP 10]

Part of my job is hiring people that have been cleared by OPM. The government works the same no matter agency, location or job. It is called process and procedures, no matter what what most of you'll think the government does run in an effecient manner.

Given your role, your insights are very welcome, Life's Journey. Based on your knowledge and experience of the processes, would my husband's application not even be considered even when it comes with the relevant Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System?

Thanks in advance for your reply

Laura

[Oksana & Max 94]

Laura,

I don't think that SS will play much of an issue here. The issue I see and I am talking from experience as I do hold Security Clearance. You said your husband have a UK Security Clearance. Currently you are not a US Citizen neither a Permanent Residence, it might be somewhat challenging for him to get a Security Clearance due to those facts. He haven't been living in US for awhile and did not maintain a residence, his 1995 security clearance is expired long time ago and he will have to go thru the whole process of what is known as Full Background Scope. Having wife that is non US resident neither a US Citizen will only make things more complicated. Even if he would move here 3 month prior it is not sufficient for Security Clearance, most likely 6 month or so, mine took over a year but I hold a dual citizenship and my credit history was not good at that point.

I do wish you can move all together but your husband will have to go get some other job, while pending security clearance and things like that. Security Clearance in the US is a privilige and not given just to anyone, and in your case it doesn't make things easier.

Good luck hope everything will work for you.

[bigdog 376]

I am no expert on this and wish you both the best of luck.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Any security clearances done in 1995 are going to be very different than those performed in today's post 9/11 world. A check on Selective Service registration might not even have been done at that time. Who knows.

I still think the real heart of this matter is whether or not Chris can get a US government job in the timeframe you would like. Have you investigated this more thoroughly? No offense meant, but he's an accountant. We have lots of those over here.

Whenever a family moves internationally, there's often one partner left behind to tie up the loose ends. Make a list of those loose ends before you decide you can't manage them on your own.

Check with a solicitor in the UK to find out just exactly what documents would be needed for a real estate closing if Chris were already abroad. Power of Attorney works in the US; might need something else over there.

And - not to be brutal - I am of the opinion that with four children to raise, you are far better off in the UK. Especially if you are still leaning on moving to the DC area. I'm sure you've given that plenty of thought yourself though and have a different opinion of what you want for your family.

[Rob & Monika 87]

What exactly does he do for a living? A 'government' position can be anything from engineers to politicians. Perhaps an alternative solution is available. It's hard to fathom that a private sector job isn't available...unless he is MI6 or something.

[LIFE'SJOURNEY 970]

Given your role, your insights are very welcome, Life's Journey. Based on your knowledge and experience of the processes, would my husband's application not even be considered even when it comes with the relevant Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System?

Thanks in advance for your reply

Laura

Laura, his biggest hurdle will be security clearance. Please read the post above by Max he has spelled it out clearly. Again, all you'll can do is try.

[JoannaV 174]

It's not entirely hopeless at least, as I'm pretty sure they don't have a computer that automatically disqualifies everyone who isn't registered right at the beginning of the application process. If it did, no-one who immigrated to the US after age 26 and became a citizen would ever get a federal job. But they do.

Is there an equivalent job at state level? Then you wouldn't have to live near the insane mess that is DC

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

It's not entirely hopeless at least, as I'm pretty sure they don't have a computer that automatically disqualifies everyone who isn't registered right at the beginning of the application process. If it did, no-one who immigrated to the US after age 26 and became a citizen would ever get a federal job. But they do.

Is there an equivalent job at state level? Then you wouldn't have to live near the insane mess that is DC

I think that would certainly depend on how the question is worded on USAjobs.

The requirement is to register between the ages of 18 and 26. The requirement even applies to aliens. If an alien did not live in the US while they were that age, then of course the requirement is moot. I am frankly unsure for a person born with a US birth certificate.

Which is an interesting question that Laura should explore. There's information in another of Laura's thread that claims the Selective Service website says "a male LIVING in the US and between the ages of 18 and 26......................."

Edited August 21, 2012 by Rebecca Jo

[Oksana & Max 94]

One more thing I want to add to the OP. They were planning for husband to get a Gov job in DC and on that salary to support 6 people???? Thanks for the laugh but I am not aware of any Gov job that pays that good. I with they would I would transition already from private sector, but guess what for last 5 years I've been a Gov contractor and don't want to change it. Seems like our own US Gov investing more into contractors then into their own employees. Just to give you an idea my division consists of about 30 people, and 27 of them are contractors.

Someone mentioned that AP partner is an accountant, well accountant in Gov Sector most likely will make about 50-70K a year, which is not enough to support a family of 6 in the DC area. I only have myself and mywife and working for private sector (pays more money) sometimes I am struggling with paying all my bills on-time.

[Rob & Monika 87]

If he was an intern in 1995 in the US, was he attending a US college/university? I did not even know about the SS until I applied to college in 1997 and I was informed I had to register to apply to college (or something along those lines).

[Rob & Monika 87]

I'm all curious now...lol. I don't believe this will effect a security clearance, but it will effect a government position.

"If you were born in 1960 or later, are 26 years of age or older, and were required to register but did not do so, you can no longer register under Selective Service law. Accordingly, you are not eligible for appointment to an executive agency unless you can prove to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that your failure to register was neither knowing nor willful. If your employing agency has informed you that you cannot be appointed to a position in an executive agency because of your failure to register, and you wish to establish that your non-compliance with the law was neither knowing nor willful, you may write to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

NACI Center

IOD-SAB

Boyers, PA 16018"

So it's not entirely over for his government career given that statement. You should be able to get past this with "I've been in the UK since I was 18"

That being said...if he is in finance as mentioned, I have a Financial Manager position open here, 15-20 yrs experience. PM me if interested. It does require he can get a security clearance but it is not part of the government...that is if you like snow.

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from DCF Discussion to Off Topic; topic is about a personal set of circumstances and not about any specific immigration process.

[LauraDP 10]

So many questions and queries. I will see if I can answer as many as possible.

My husband has worked as an Auditor at National and Local Government level since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and he has also worked as a Finance Manager at local (ie State) government level. That is what his professional experience is and is what he enjoys doing, hence he is seeking an equivalent job in the US. He is prepared to work either for Federal or State Government but would prefer Federal for personal professional and career reasons. He does not have any professional experience in the private sector, though he has worked alongside private sector groups as part of his present job, which is one of the reasons why he has not explored that route to employment.

We do not believe that my nationality would be any hindrance to his security clearance as he has already researched this with both the CIA and FBI who presumably have some of the highest security standards in the US. They state that there may be some additional checks required if the USC has a foreign-born spouse and we fully expect that it will take a little longer because of the need to access information in the UK but I don't see that as a barrier, just a timescale issue.

We are not going into this immigration plan blind, incidentally, and are fully aware of the need to achieve a certain salary level to support a family of six. Supporting a family of six in the UK is no cake walk by the way. I am a qualified High School Teacher and will be looking to convert my qualifications to enable me to work in my profession in the US so we will be a two income household for a start. We are fully cognisant of house prices, travel costs, childcare costs etc in the wider DC area since we have not only researched it but also have family and friends living there. We do not remotely expect to be able to live in DC itself but in one of the further out suburbs, within commuting distance of the city. The house prices are actually comparable to those here and are certainly more affordable than if we were to return to living in the suburbs of London as we did at the beginning of our careers. If it transpires that my husband is not qualified to apply for jobs at the grade and salary we need him to have for us to live comfortably as a family of six then we will obviously remain in the UK. My husband has contacts in Federal Government who are passing his resume to other contacts at the moment to determine how appealing his qualifications and experience are in the US and he is also awaiting an assessment of the equivalence of his UK qualification, though he has been told in writing that this is a paper exercise since they do equate to the US qualifications.

We have read and reread and read again all of the information about Selective Service and are very clear that my husband was never exempt on any level but also that, because his lack of registration was through genuine ignorance and was not a knowing or wilful decision, he will not be legally barred from Federal or State level employment. My issue, however, is that the added complication of having to apply for the OPM waiver will be a turn off for some prospective employers and that is not something we will be able to determine.

To respond to a more personal query, I understand the view that we are crazy to be thinking of moving to the US with four children. I am sure a lot of people don't even understand why we chose to have a large family but that would form part of a very personal conversation. We have been weighing up a lot of options for moves either within the UK or to the US - I obviously just don't share the debates about moves within the UK here because they are irrelevant. If we want, however, to live in the suburbs of a major city then Washington DC is certainly a better option of us as a family than London, for instance. My husband has also been wanting to return to the US for nigh on 20 years now so that is one of the reasons why we are determined to go on investigating and committing to a relocation to the US until it becomes clear that it is not workable in the way that we require it to work. We are not stupid people. We know when to let something go. Even if we had been prepared to accept a certain level of risk as a couple, there is no way we would accept the same level of risk as parents.

To answer a side question, he was a University student back in 1995 when he interned with the Pentagon but at a UK University. We spent the summer of 1995 in the US in order to determine whether or not we wanted to emigrate there when we finished our undergraduate degrees. For various reasons we chose not to do so at that time. Since he was not at a US educational institution at the time, there was still no notification of his need to register for Selective Service.

I apologise if I come across as very strident in the way I have answered the queries raised. I assure you that nothing anyone has written directly or inferred has caused me offence. All opinions are valid. My stridency is simply because I am striving to convey the facts of our situation in order to clarify it and perhaps my tone might be a bit edgier today simply because I am feeling on edge today.

Thank you again for all of your perspectives on this situation.

Best wishes

Laura

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

You don't seem strident to me. I'm sure you're exasperated because you've been working on this a long time.

I hope you don't think other people think you are "stupid" or haven't thought things through. It's just that people writing to you here already have been through the process. Or they work in the field your husband wants to work in. Or they've raised children in the US, or lived in DC, or both. Or some other aspect of this process that you've researched and examined, but not lived. That colors our advice and writings.

I do think that your wishlist is to long for your family to realistically immigrate. There's a lot of balls that go in the air when one moves abroad, and a certain element of risk. Rarely do the stars align as you've outlined that they must. At some point, if a person really wants to move abroad, they control what they can and leave the rest to the Gods.

I hope you can work this out both in your head and in your hearts.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

I'm all curious now...lol. I don't believe this will effect a security clearance, but it will effect a government position.

"If you were born in 1960 or later, are 26 years of age or older, and were required to register but did not do so, you can no longer register under Selective Service law. Accordingly, you are not eligible for appointment to an executive agency unless you can prove to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that your failure to register was neither knowing nor willful. If your employing agency has informed you that you cannot be appointed to a position in an executive agency because of your failure to register, and you wish to establish that your non-compliance with the law was neither knowing nor willful, you may write to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

NACI Center

IOD-SAB

Boyers, PA 16018"

So it's not entirely over for his government career given that statement. You should be able to get past this with "I've been in the UK since I was 18"

That being said...if he is in finance as mentioned, I have a Financial Manager position open here, 15-20 yrs experience. PM me if interested. It does require he can get a security clearance but it is not part of the government...that is if you like snow.

But what are the requirements to register?

Male.

Between the ages of 18 to 26.

Living in the US.

I'm not convinced that Laura's husband was ever required to register. I don't think we have enough proof to believe that he is now "tainted" insofar as Federal employment goes. Laura says she has researched the matter so perhaps she can explain it.

Edited August 21, 2012 by Rebecca Jo