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The Hiring Process Q. Do I have to speak Spanish to join the Border Patrol? A. NO. You must LEARN Spanish while at the Academy and you must pass a Spanish test to keep the job. Q. Some of the folks at work are interested in Border Patrol. Is there something I can take to show them? A. Print out the BP recruiting poster by clicking HERE . You will have to use your "BACK" button to return to this page. Q. How do I apply? A. On line is the best way to apply. Click on the HOME button at the top of this page. It is free, easy and self-paced. When applying through the Telephone Application Processing System - TAPS, make sure you listen carefully to questions and answer them properly, Please! If you make a mistake you can call back and re-enter your information. The information from your latest call will overwrite the earlier record. This line is operational 24 hours per day. You must call from a touch-tone phone. Errors have occurred when calling from cordless or cellular phones. PLEASE research and find out as much as possible about the Border Patrol’s mission before applying. It will save you and DHS time and money. The Border Patrol is not just a job. It's a career with risks and challenges for those individuals who possess the determination, perseverance and fortitude to succeed. If you should be disqualified for medical reasons, always look at other DHS positions to see if you may meet those medical standards. Q. Something has come up and I can't make it to my written test, can I reschedule? A. When attempting to reschedule written tests, contact your local Office Of Personnel Management Service Center ONLY! DHS offices do not reschedule written tests! OPM Service Center numbers are available on the OPM web site. Q. Are there things that I don't know about that might keep me from becoming an agent? A. Yes, see below: Disqualifiers Domestic Violence IMPORTANT: If you have any conviction for domestic violence, you are prohibited from owning or possessing a gun or ammunition. This makes you ineligible for the USBP. For more information regarding PL 104-208, 1996 HR 3610, Omnibus Appropriations Bill: SEC. 658. Gun Ban For Individuals Convicted Of A Misdemeanor Crime Of Domestic Violence, click here: "Lautenberg Amendment." United States Residence Residency Requirement
Q. I can't BELIEVE that I failed the ______________! When can I retake it? How long is my ________________ good for? Your written exam score is good for one year. It is extendable for up to three years, one year at a time. If you fail the written exam, you can retest six months after the date on your notice of results. Your oral board, if you pass, is good for three years. If you fail the oral board you can retake it after six months if you submit a written request. Medical exam results are good for one year. Drug tests are good for 18 months. Background investigations are good for one year.
Q. I got something from OPM and I thought the test information (time, location) should have been included. Did I miss something? A. Be sure to check the envelope address window. OPM used to use this window for the examination admission notice with your address showing. If they still do this, tear open the window and remove the slip inside. This information is now supplied to you at the time of your on-line application. Q. How long will I have to wait until I find out if I passed the written test? A. If you are lucky enough to attend a compressed hiring center, you will find out before leaving. You now have the option of choosing to be notified by email. It really works and it is fast. Otherwise, every three weeks the Twin Cities Delegated Examining Unit (DEU) downloads a list of applicants who have recently taken the written test. The DEU ensures that each applicant who tested receives a Notice of Results. If you do not receive this form within six weeks of testing you should contact the DEU by mail or fax at (612) 727-2217. If you move between the time you tested and when results would be issued make sure you put a forwarding address order in with your post office and provide your new address to the DEU. Make sure you indicate where and when you took the Border Patrol test. They manage registers of other DHS occupations as well. If you passed the written test -CONGRATULATIONS!!! Expect a tentative selection package from the Twin Cities National Hiring Unit Staffing Unit. Q. Do I need to submit a written application? Where can I get the forms(OF-612, SF-86, etc.)? A. The forms will be included in your tentative selection package or you can find them online at http://www.opm.gov/forms/. This is also on the LINKS page. A written application will only be requested from you if you pass the written test. READ! all documentation sent to you and highlight areas of importance so you don’t miss the suspense dates or important information. Always review paperwork to make sure you completed everything before returning it to the requesting office and that you have original signatures and dates on all documentation as required. Incomplete paperwork will delay your processing. Correspondence from the Twin Cities National Hiring Center or BPHU almost always has a due date by which you are to return the requested documentation. Respond as soon as possible. If the requested information is not received in a timely manner or you do not call for an extension of time, you will be eliminated from the hiring process. You know which office began processing your application. You are responsible for keeping your address current with that office. Use an address for where you really are located. The ZIP code is important for scheduling various parts of your pre employment processes. Prior to moving to a new address, always put in a change of address with your local Post Office and make sure you know how long they will continue to forward your mail. If the BPHU is processing your application you may fax a change of address to (202-616-2682) anytime. Please provide your printed name, old address, new address, SSN and signature. Please see the phone list for fax numbers for your appropriate Staffing Team at the Twin Cities National Hiring Center REMEMBER, this offer is tentative based on the completion of every step of the process. Q. Do I have to take a drug screen? A. Only if you want to be hired. You will be contacted by personnel from an DHS Drug Testing Unit with instructions on where and when to report for your drug test. This test can occur at any time during the hiring process and it may occur more than once. The urine specimen you give at your medical exam is not a drug test. Q. What do I need to know about the medical and vision exams? A. The Twin Cities Hiring Center will obtain clinic assignments from our medical contractor. You will be provided a medical kit shortly after receiving your tentative selection package. YOU are responsible for contacting your assigned clinic(s) and making arrangements for the exams as soon as you receive the medical kit. It is YOUR responsibility to inform the Twin Cities Staffing Unit identified in your tentative selection letter or your appointment dates in a timely fashion either via a phone call or by completing and returning the postcard included in your kit (Please read all materials carefully). instructions on how to proceed if you have a problem are included in the kit. If you must contact the medical contractor about a problem with a clinic, speak slowly, leave your full name, SSN, complete address, home telephone number, and identify yourself as a Border Patrol Applicant on the answering machine. If you do not leave this information they will not have enough information to assist you. You may receive a request for you to complete a follow-up exam on some conditions that may become evident on your medical exam. Respond as directed in the correspondence you receive from the Twin Cities Medical Review Unit. If you should receive a letter stating you are medically disqualified you will be offered an opportunity to appeal the determination. You will have 30 days from the date of the letter to appeal by providing the requested documentation. You should see your personal physician for a referral to the appropriate specialist, if his/her expertise can not be utilized. All appeals are at your own expense. Always remember if the documentation says go to a cardiologist, then make arrangements via your personal physician to make an appointment. If you have reservations or questions call the Twin Cities Medical Review Unit. Generally, no extensions are given, however call in advance to discuss situation. Q. I have a clearance (top secret, crypto, final secret, yada, yada, yada) from the military. Will that speed up the hiring process? A. No. The Border Patrol will conduct a nice, new, fresh investigation on you, just like everyone else. Q. I have been a military policeman for X number of years. Can I EOD as a GS-7? A. Maybe. First and foremost, everyone should understand that EVEN IF you qualify for GS-7 it does not automatically mean that you will get it. There are only a certain number of GS-7 slots for each class. That is why you should complete BOTH the GS-5 and the GS-7 worksheet and return them. Getting a GS-7 depends on how you write up your experience. If you say you spent your career driving a patrol truck around the base perimeter, guess what? You have to have real police experience to put down on paper. Read the grade determination sheet provided in your tentative selection package and make sure you provide all requested documentation to your Twin Cities Staffing team early on in the process. If you don't provide the information you don't get the grade even if you do qualify. This issue should be resolved well before you reach the point when you are ready to be scheduled to EOD. You must be offered the GS-7 grade BEFORE you EOD (enter on duty). There are no take-backs, re-do's, or changes to the grade you are given upon EOD. Q. I think I qualify for GS-7 based on my college grades. Where do I send the transcripts? A. You can have the institution mail them directly to the address below, but for your own peace of mind you may want them mailed to you sealed in a separate envelope. DO NOT open the sealed envelope. Put it in another envelope and mail it to: Dept of Homeland Security-NHC Q. Is there a list of valuable phone numbers that I might need to keep the hiring process moving? How do I reach a live person to have my questions answered? A. See the FAQ page listing important phone numbers. When calling please don't be frustrated because you reached the voicemail system. The phones stay busy. If another applicant's call is being answered your call will roll immediately to voicemail. Please leave a complete message which includes your name, SSN, phone number or home fax number, including area code, and a brief description of why you are calling. Please speak slowly and as clearly as possible when leaving messages. Do not call every hour or every day. Their priorities and operational commitments vary daily and this may delay an immediate response. The more times they are interrupted by unnecessary calls the longer it takes to process applications Remember, it may take time to research information, but once they have an answer they will return your call. Q. How should I approach the DHS staff when I have concerns or questions? A. First and foremost, know what you want to ask. These people are extremely busy. Be specific. Be friendly, but businesslike. Understand that sometimes, in the rush of doing business folks may get a little flustered and sometimes you may reach a new staff member. Remember, they are dealing with a hundred people like you every day, hearing the same questions over and over again, and your call probably caught them in the middle of working on someone's case file. Each department handles their own piece of the pre-employment puzzle. If you contact the wrong department expect that the person you reach may not be able to answer your question and may have to refer your call elsewhere or call you back once they've researched the issue. Get names of whom you talk to and keep notes. You should be especially careful to get the names of people who actually help you and give you correct information. Ask for them next time. Q. How long does it take to get hired after you first apply? A. There is no good answer. There are too many variables. A good estimate is up to a year or more if no issues arise with your medical exam or background investigation and if the Service is able to schedule your oral board quickly. If there are very few applicants living in your area you will most likely see a delay in scheduling parts of the pre employment processing. The Service is committed to your hire just as much as any other applicant, but it may take a while longer. You should expect to be contacted for the personal interview portion of your background investigation within two to three weeks after passing your oral board. The background investigation averages six weeks, but may take longer. Once you have completed pre-employment processing the Twin Cities Training Scheduling Unit will schedule you for class and Entrance on Duty (EOD) Let's say it may take six weeks minimum to six months (whew!) A recent applicant wrote to say that from the day he used the on-line application to the day he spoke with his Background Investigation Officer was 18 weeks. Another gent wrote and told me that from the day he took the EXPEDITED HIRING (no longer available) TEST it was six weeks exactly until he was hired and on duty!!! Q. What happens when you finally get notified? A. You will be offered a position, either GS-5 or GS-7, depending on your qualifications, at a station determined by Headquarters. The Service will generally try to accommodate your wish list for the first or second choice of geographical area indicated on your tentative offer acceptance form. This may not always be possible. The notification will arrive either by Fed-Ex or by phone. You will be given a time, date and place to report. Sometimes, the time between receiving your notification and the time for reporting is just barely enough time to give your current employer notice, so be prepared. I also predict that mere minutes will pass between the arrival of the Fed Ex Fairy and you making an "I MADE IT!" post to the message board. Q. What if I don't want to be stationed in Mudguppy, Texas? A. The Service offers you a job where we need agents. You have two options: (1) Take it, or (2) Don't. In a perfect world, everyone would be stationed at home or where they want to live. The reality is, many Border Patrol stations are in remote, rural areas where facilities are lacking, amenities are few and job opportunities for spouses are non-existent. The Service is also getting smarter about station assignments and sending people where they would rather be, to the extent possible, thus making them a happier agent. Q. What if I refuse the job? A. You'll probably regret it for the rest of your life. Basically, you have to start over from square one. Your file may be put back in the stack for a later offer; but more than likely, it may not. You should consider this, however; If you or your spouse will be profoundly unhappy living in Mudguppy, Texas, you should probably decide before you take the job whether you want a job or a significant other. Q. I am over age 37 (or rapidly approaching it). Is it too late for me? Are waivers available? A. Age 37 is The Kiss of Death for entering on duty with federal law enforcement. There is a good reason for this. We have mandatory retirement at age 57. You must serve a minimum of 20 years to retire. 37 + 20 = 57. (NOTE: At the time of this writing, applicants who have not reached their 40th birthday can apply. This is a special deal and may or may not be repeated.). There are no known waivers (except one, see below) unless you have previously served in a covered position with federal law enforcement. If you don't know what I mean by "covered" or "6c" then you have not been in one of these positions. If you are rapidly approaching age 37, (or 40, in the current case) everything you send to Border Patrol should have "AGE" written on the outside envelope in big letters. This will let them know that you need to go to the top of the pile. The current rumor is that if you pass the written test and get a score before your 37th birthday, they will give you an age waiver. None of these tricks will not work for you 21 year olds, so don't even think about it. Once you have been given the official "seal of approval" to enter on duty with the Border Patrol, you can be granted an age waiver up to the time you are assigned a class. DO NOT assume that you have been given an age waiver. ASK! Q. I have completed all phases of the application process and I've been told that I should just relax and wait to be notified. Can you suggest how I can get some sleep? A. Try counting illegal aliens jumping over a wire mesh fence. Try counting marijuana bales floating across the Rio Grande on inner tubes. You might consider joining the Drop of the Hat Club once you have passed all the requirements to enter on duty. Do not try your sister's prescription sleeping pills because even though you just passed your drug screen. The Service tests randomly and you could get it the very day you enter on duty (EOD). Learn that phrase. You will use it the rest of your career.
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