What is interim eligibility in the context of national security?

Interim eligibility refers to a temporary status granted to individuals that allows them access to classified information while their security clearance is undergoing the formal investigation process. This procedure is crucial to ensuring that national security interests are safeguarded while also facilitating the timely onboarding of personnel who require access to sensitive information.

The core purpose of granting interim eligibility is to balance the need for immediate access to classified material with the necessity of thorough vetting, which often takes time due to the complexities involved in background investigations. Therefore, interim eligibility allows someone to perform their duties without interruption during this ongoing process, with the understanding that full clearance will be granted once the investigation is successfully completed.

The other options present scenarios that do not accurately describe interim eligibility: a permanent clearance without investigation contradicts the vetting process, revocation of a clearance refers to the removal of previously granted access, and a non-revocable type of security eligibility does not align with the principles of personnel security standards which allow for reassessment and changes based on new information.