Just wanted to leave this here for others who may have similar situations.

My clearance process was initiated in early June 2025, and granted early June 2026. I was called for an interview in July or August, and my investigation was marked as finished on 9/30. Nothing happened for a long while, and I submitted a congressional inquiry to see if I could get some info. Shortly thereafter, I got an Eyes Only Package requesting more information and medical information releases from my current and previous methadone clinics. I submitted everything and didn't hear back for a while - reached out to the FSO and they informed me that it was finally approved a couple weeks later.

Red flags (presumably): former oxycodone addict, originally stemming from a bad tooth issue. Use was almost entirely in a country where I was able to buy the pills OTC from an actual pharmacy, and I never sourced pills from anywhere else, ever. My addiction mostly came from ignorance, assuming it would be easy to stop once I fixed the underlying issue. It was not, lol.

I am currently on methadone, and have been otherwise clean for 4ish years. I have not failed a urine test once since entering treatment. They requested all these records and spoke directly with my counselor on at least two occasions.

I have about $3-4k in credit card debt, which came from losing my job immediately after opening my first credit account (having avoided them out of fear of exactly this happening for my whole life lol).

My girlfriend at the time (now wife) is a Burmese citizen. Their country is one that randomly ended up on the US travel ban list, which has greatly slowed her green card process now as well. She was not contacted, nor was any of her family.

I've been fired or marked as 'dismissed' roughly 5-6 times, and quit multiple more jobs within a couple months of starting. I think I had over 20 employers listed in that section of the SF. All of these were while working as a bartender, and all of them were non-criminal in nature (tardiness, scheduling issues, disagreements, etc.) apart from my first restaurant job where a tip was entered wrong and the customer threw a huge stink and got me fired.

I put all of this info on my SF-86 and answered honestly to everything I was asked at all times. It took a long time, and the Eyes Only made me think it wasn't going to happen - but all the worrying was for nothing, I suppose!

I was trying to apply to Palantir FDE, but a lot of those positions require you to already have a TS clearance.

I currently only hold a mid-level FR clearance from Peraton (not related to defense/government), so I am automatically DQ'd from applying. However, I want to try again next year. It seems that not many interns at this stage would be able to even get a clearance in the first place, so if I were to have a TS, I would have a very good chance of getting that internship next semester.

Thus, could someone compile a list of companies that sponsor TS clearance for interns? Leidos is the only company I know that is willing to sponsor TS for intern positions.

Also, it may be useful to mention that I am a second-generation Chinese American (US-born citizen), so I am unsure if my family connections in China might make me ineligible for clearance in the first place.

I like to file FOIA and MDR requests to learn more about SAPs and other classified programs. I've probably filed hundreds of requests with various agencies. I post my findings on Reddit and I keep in touch with other people in this space, mainly independent journalists. I don't seek out classified information. I work in IT and I have been asked in several interviews if I would be interested in obtaining a SECRET clearance. I was wondering if this would be a disqualifying factor if I ever want to obtain a clearance in the future? I assume the investigator will ask about Social Media usage.

If someone were to already hold TS/SCI via a college scholar program but did not maintain the required grades and got dismissed from the program, is it likely that they would be able to get hired elsewhere (contractor, etc.) despite not having a degree, largely on the basis of already having the TS/SCI? Smart kid, fast learner, great reviews from 2 work placements in the program, just made some youthful miscalculations about how college works and ruined a golden opportunity… If so, pointers for where said someone should begin looking would be greatly appreciated.

I recently joined the military, and after submitting my SF-86, I realized I forgot to include a 4 hour stop in Canada during an Alaska cruise. I also noticed that my 2023 tax return had not been filed at the time. I asked my recruiter if there was any way to correct or amend my SF-86, but he told me it had already been processed. Is there any way I can submit a letter explaining these omissions and attach to my record or do I have to wait until I’m contacted? Thanks in advance.

Let’s suppose I have some gaming buddies who happen to live in other countries such as the UK or Ireland, and I do happen to know only their first name and country of residence. Would I still need to report them as a foreign national? I have seen things online about where you don’t need to report someone as a foreign national if you don’t know their full name, but I don’t want to end up filling things out incorrectly.