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Index/Topics/Federal Hiring Policy on Criminal History

Federal Hiring Policy on Criminal History

The policy regarding the consideration of criminal history in federal hiring, including the timing of such inquiries and the treatment of pardons, sealed records, and convictions.

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Jan 21, 2026

What are the security-clearance and polygraph failure appeal options for federal law-enforcement applicants?

Federal law‑enforcement applicants who are denied a or produce an adverse result have limited but meaningful procedural options: administrative responses to a Statement of Reasons, agency internal app...

Jan 18, 2026

What policies do federal agencies (FBI, DHS, ICE) use to screen applicants with pardons or criminal records?

Federal hiring policy now generally bars agencies and contractors from asking about criminal history until a conditional job offer, requires case-by-case suitability adjudications rather than blanket ...