U.S. Department of State

I realize that the NDA does not apply here, and I am really angry about the unfair decision, but I try to deal with such anger in a positive way. I am very angry at the Chinese government for their treatment of people such as Liu Xiabao, Ai Weiwei, Chen Guangcheng and thousands like them as well as for a very personal matter, which I do not wish to discuss here. But I also would have shown respect to and cultivated good relations with Chinese officials had I gotten the job, since I believe this is the best way to try and improve matters (and not all Chinese officials are responsible for these matters and certainly not the Chinese citizens, for whom I would have been processing visa applications). (And fortunately I would not have been involved in the difficult balancing of human rights and good international and economic relations. I am sure the State Department has people much more knowledgeable and skillful in dealing with such issues anyway.)

I am also angry at the State Department for the decision, but I also believe that the people who work there are trying to do a good job. Even those who made the (erroneous) decision were only doing it under the very false assumption that they were consequently safeguarding American interests, although I do wonder how they could get it so wrong. My initial disappointment and depression have been gradually transforming into anger at the unfair treatment, but I still believe that maintaining a professional attitude is important. I realize that my attitude and behavior are not going to change anything, neither how the Chinese treat their citizens nor how the State Department treated me (although I probably would have had a better chance at influencing the decisions of Chinese government officials).

So, sorry, I am not going to disclose the reasoning, even though I know my file has been regulated to the dustbin (unfortunately there is no recycling bin) and I am only history for the State Department.

I think you have a very good attitude toward a very disappointing outcome. You will find another path, and although perhaps not currently known, it will be positive.

Good luck!

Found the post way in the back. Let's see if they allow it back to the top (or near to the top) of the list.

Yes.

Has anyone on this forum been successfully hired into the CALNA program while having a foreign national spouse & relatives in China?

Having passed the OA, I've just started clearances (security, medical). With a foreign national spouse & in-laws in China, I'm now worried about suitability - even though none of her relatives are registered Party members.

I understand that every candidate is evaluated on a case-by-case basis and I shouldn't plan my life based on hearsay, but I'm trying to gauge the likelihood of being denied country authorization at the last step for simple financial reasons: I'm currently unemployed with enough means to last until October 2012 (which I believe is the next CALNA cohort). I'm holding off on a private sector job offer because I'd much rather work for State. I think it's disrespectful to quit a new job after, for example, 3 or 6 months (in order to accept an offer with State). But then again, banking all my hopes and dreams on a successful hire from State is a big risk that I'm taking.

Would appreciate any advice.

I can't speak to how likely it is to be cleared for this specific job, but any medical/security clearance comes with the risk that you might not get cleared, might not get cleared in time, or that the Dept of State's budget or hiring needs could change between now and your deadline resulting in no offer.

So, country clearance issues aside, I wouldn't recommend putting all of your eggs in the Dept of State basket until you actually have an offer in hand.

I am not one to ever pull the race card and so I do not take lightly what I am about to type. However, I feel it must be said and I welcome any discussion or discourse in response to my opinion.

Is it just me, or does this have overtones of discrimination? If you think about the subset of the population that has both the language skills asked for in the CA positions, along with family members/close ties to China, Latin America, and Brazil; I would venture to guess that this group is mostly of Chinese, Latin American, and Brazilian ancestry. To deny country authorization to these individuals on such basis seems like a wholesale dismissal of this group and somewhat discriminatory in practice.

I do not accept the mods earlier response that denial of country authorization does not equal a denial in security authorization. Lets be honest, it does boils down to national security. Mods themselves have explained that these individuals may be faced with increased pressure/influence, in other words, a possible compromise of security. I acknowledge the importance of national security, but I am also increasingly wary of its use to justify everything our government does. This is not meant to be a diatribe against the national security apparatus, but rather a questioning of the application of policies under the auspices of national security.

I have the same question. I get a little discouraged reading these as I feel this could happen to any of us... I'm wondering if it's even worth the trip to D.C. For the oral assessment as that will be costly for our family if we were not to get the job because of a relative. Does anyone know anyone who got the job with foreign in-laws?

I think on other threads there have been posts by people who have got in to the classes and have foreign wives...I guess foreign in-laws are part of that package

has anyone been denied for Brazil or is it just China?

I was denied authorization to work in China, and I am not of Chinese ancestry (European) and have no relatives or ties to China.