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I had applied for a job at RR Submarine Nuclear through a recruitment agency, I had an interview by RR manager and was offered the job.

I did my DBS and result in 2 days was a pass. I submitted my SC clearance form and had an interview with the Ministry of Defence (a Government Department) and Clearance was granted after a couple of months (so far all good).

I was told by the recruitment security agent that before I can start the job they will have to brief me which I was happy with that. However, before she could brief me she had to get in touch with Contracting Authorities (MOD/Government).

After 2 weeks of waiting I was told my access to RR was denied by the Contracting Authorities because I have originally came from Iraq and the data information are sensitive, but I'm Kurdish not Arab and at the beginning of my process they knew where I came from (Iraq). I was only 16 yrs old back then and been in the UK for over 21 years and have British nationality and I only hold a British passport.

Is there something I could do about this? The whole process took over 4 months - i thought I had the job and the SC Clearance granted but then they turned me down.

Added from deleted answer: I had contacted my local MP and they spoke to the correspondent and they forwarded the case/information to MOD, unfortunately now the parliament is dissolved and our MP is retired. However, the MP had received an email from MOD saying that they will contact me directly as the MP no longer works.

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    It's normal -- MOD sites do sometimes require workers to be born in the UK. This does not have anything to do with your ethnicity; in real life I have an English sounding name, I (mostly) sound English and am an ethnic Brit. But I have still been turned down for MOD positions for reasons having to do with my country of birth (in Northern Europe)
    – Omar and Lorraine
    Commented Jun 10 at 14:55
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    For the record, that is pretty quick for a clearance to come through for the US. You could possibly work for this company on a less sensitive project.
    – Pete B.
    Commented Jun 10 at 14:59
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    There are some jobs that require more than just a clearance, and nationality, is one of those requirements. The recruitment agency likely failed you for not making that fact clear.
    – Donald
    Commented Jun 10 at 16:04
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    I'm surprised you got as far as you did, especially the SC clearance, unfortunate it took 4 months for them to realise you weren't eligible :-(
    – deep64blue
    Commented Jun 10 at 16:07
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    Write your MP that the process is nuts, that they gave you clearance and then blocked you. That wasted your time, that wasted taxpayer money, and perhaps somebody might raise a stink about that. But changes would come to late to help you now.
    – o.m.
    Commented Jun 10 at 16:38

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Governments can deny just about anything they feel like on grounds of "national security"; that's just the reality of the world.

You can challenge it, but your chance of success is just about zero. Sorry about that. I appreciate it's frustrating and you probably should have been removed from the process earlier, but that is water under the bridge now.

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It is normal for Governments around the world, to insist that only locally born residents can work in certain sensitive jobs.

It is in New Zealand Australia and India, that I know off. It may have nothing to with you being Iraqi in particular.

However, it is also normal that people from certain areas are not allowed to do certain jobs.

My daughter living in Australia is not allowed to do certain jobs, and she was born in New Zealand.

All that shouldn't stop you from challenging it, but you shouldn't persust at it.

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