FBI

Remove the “ic.”

Got my email too! Excited to meet you all in December! :D

Doing alright I suppose. No new update on my end though, 30 months in. Hope all is well with you.

I passed Phase I and a Phase II in 2016! Then discontinued due to “prescreening”. Reapplied in the 2018 cycle and passed Phase 3 a year ago. Now waiting on adjudication. Had a date change in early August but nothing since. Hang in there!

From what I've heard, asking for updates is frowned upon. (It sucks, I know.) But I'd just go by the mantra of "no news is good news."

If they were only contacted in May, I'd hold off until six months have passed from then or until you see a processing date update - the latter gives you an excuse to touch base but don't expect any insights about that "update" from your AC.



When I've asked for an update, my AC has simply stated in one way or another that: "You're still in background. I don't have new information for you." The key thing is always to be polite and not to bother them unnecessarily which is something I explain in more detail later on.



Case in point right here: I've been in background for around 18 months and I have no doubt that the pandemic is slowing things down. I share your frustration, Midwest18, the lengthy nature of this process really really sucks especially when you see others breeze through it.



Obviously, sending an email every other week asking for an update is not a good idea, but I don't think that there's any harm in reaching out at key milestone marks in the background process i.e. 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, etc. This way you're simply keeping tabs on its status and making sure - assuming your AC is competent at their job - that nothing has accidentally slipped through the net.

As for "hoping" for things to be done by a certain point, that's not a viable strategy because this process will disappoint you on that front. Focus on the other things that are important in your life and don't let this one job application stop you from making the "big" decisions concerning your career and/or family because there are absolutely no guarantees that everything will work out. Yes, you've made it this far, but so did plenty of others whose applications then never crossed the finish line for one reason or another as these boards can well and truly attest over the years.

Edited by user Thursday, September 17, 2020 3:23:46 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Re: Monthly "Active" emails

Hi - I've been in background check for a year. Last June I was reading this forum and for the first time saw posters mention getting "You're Still Active" emails every three weeks. I had never gotten one before at all. So I followed advice here and changed my preferred contact method to email instead of no preference on my profile. A few days later I got an "Active" email, as well as an email that was like a newsletter. Even though they said I'd be getting these every three weeks, I never got another ever again.

Has that happened to anyone else? Today I changed my contact method back to no preference, and then back to email to see if that would spur receiving another Active email.

Thanks

App: 10/14/18
PSI: 05/08/19
Poly: 06/26/19
BI: 9/01/19

I have kept tabs on these emails. I previously described how to find what week of background those emails say you are on. For me, those emails continued through the week 54 email. After that they continued, but they looked different and there was no link to a survey (which is where the week number of your background would have appeared). The last one I received would have been week 57, and I am due for another in the next couple of days.

I am aware that many prefer not to contact their AC because they don't want to be a bother, but I'd say if you haven't already, contact that person and see if they have an update for you - especially if you haven't spoken to them in a while. Be friendly and just let them know you wanted to make sure they don't need anything from you. I don't feel there is anything wrong with checking in as long as you are cordial.

Had a date change yesterday, fingers crossed for good news soon! Seems like the date change in the portal has varying meanings, but from what I've gathered...most of the time it means you hear something soon?

I did yesterday and got the expected "I cannot provide any updates" email. If I can wait two years, I can wait a little longer lol
I'm sorry to hear that, hopefully you hear something soon as well. You're also from the 2018 app right?

Edited by user Thursday, September 24, 2020 5:09:26 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified