Security Clearances

See also Travel Advisory

If you are planning to apply for a visa to enter the U.S., be ready for the possibility of waiting several weeks and sometimes even several months for a security clearance. While this may not be the case for a majority of people, it is a possibility that you should prepare for.

These additional measures that some individuals are subjected to and that are leading to unexpected delays involve three kinds of security checks affecting nonimmigrant visa processing. If the application is flagged as a possible security concern when a consulate receives a visa application, a request is sent to the Department of State (DOS) for security clearances.

The first possible check is the CONDOR clearance. It is difficult to anticipate whether or not an individual will be subject to this security clearance since the criteria is classified.

The second possible check is the MANTIS clearance. This is a “sensitive technology” alert based on whether an applicant is involved in any of the 15 categories found on the Critical Fields List (CFL) of DOS’ Technology Alert List (TAL). The TAL includes an expanded list of technologies with potential “dual-use” applications. Some of these technologies appear benign but are deemed to have potential military applications.

The list is very comprehensive and includes almost every possible associated technology or skill involving chemistry, biochemistry, immunology, chemical engineering, civil engineering and pharmacology to name a few. Having such a broad all-inclusive list means that most research scientists, physicians, academics and engineers involved in any of these fields could be subject to the MANTIS clearance. So it is very possible to run across a consular officer who will decide to err on the side of caution and obtain a MANTIS clearance prior to issuing a visa.

The third possible check involves then NCIC Criminal clearance. Unfortunately, for those with common names (Smith, Kim, Mohammad, etc.) false hits are occurring with increased regularity. An NCIC clearance can take four to six weeks to process. Approximately seven million names have been dumped into the system, and about half of them are Latino, resulting in a large number of false hits and delays for persons with common Latino names. If you have a common name, Third Country National processing in Mexico may be advisable at posts that have implemented a pilot fingerprint program. This pilot program allows posts to process clearances on “false” hits the same day, and clearances for positive hits in as little as two days.

Even if you have maintained a spotless immigration record and have never had more than a traffic violation, false hits are the biggest headache for unsuspecting visa applicants. Individuals with common Muslim or Latino names are almost guaranteed hits in CONDOR or NCIC.


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