So you are, no doubt, upset. Your new job is put into question because of Guideline B. Your Statement of Reasons (SOR) you received mentions that you may be a security concern because of foreign influences. Really, you ask? Well, the Department of Defense is serious….serious as a heart attack. Guideline B tells you that they are worried that you have loyalties or financial interests in a foreign person, group, or organization that may put your ability to keep your lips zipped in jeopardy.

What is Guideline B really about?

Usually concerns regarding Guideline B arise when you have a significant other, be it a husband/wife or a boyfriend/girlfriend who is a foreign national. Further questions arise when you have sent money to assist your foreign hunny in securing a divorce or making sure her elderly parents receive the medical treatment they need. Another problem could arise if you have foreign business connections. It comes up more than you think. You are not alone. There are a lot of people facing issues raised by the Department of Defense regarding Guideline B.

How do I combat Guideline B issues?

The way most commonly employed is that you state that the person you are in a relationship with is in the process of acquiring U.S. citizenship. However, that is not listed in the Department of Defense Directive. It is just something that attorneys in the know, like those at Edmunds Law Firm, have in their pocket of tools. The Directive states that mitigating factors for Guideline B include:

  • Based on the nature of the relationship, it is unlikely that you will be placed in a position of choosing between the US and a foreign government;
  • The person causing all this fuss, your significant other’s perhaps, loyalty to a foreign government is minimal;
  • Contact or communication with a foreign citizen is really nothing, it is minimal;
  • The contact you have with foreign nationals is due to US government business or approved by the security authority;
  • You promptly reported contacts and causes of threat;
  • The value or routine nature of your business contact is unlikely to make you amenable to influence, or pressure;

Even if it is just a problem with a foreign boy or girlfriend, it could put your livelihood at risk. You don’t want anything to do with that and you certainly want to know how to properly defend yourself so that something so minimal doesn’t become a huge problem. Contact Edmunds Law Firm today to get the help you need with Guideline B.