I was contacted by a company after providing them my CV. After that, a few weeks down the line they asked me what my status is in the UK and stated they need this information for a security clearance.

They asked me for the following:

- All of my nationalities : I declared ones I am national of other than 1
- Whether I had been in UK for the last 10 years : YES
- Whether I hold a UK passport : NO

However, they rejected my application saying they can't obtain a security clearance for me as I don't have a UK passport.

My question is, can an employer reject an application just because a candidate doesn't have a UK passport?

I am a bit surprised because my current company does a DBS check every 6 months and they don't have any issue with checking security clearance for me.