I applied online for this job on the Home Office website. The job description was in depth and pretty accurate for the job offered. Here is where I encountered my issue...nowhere on the job description did the position mention having to have lived in the UK for 3 years or more. I am UK born and bred but moved to the US when I married...subsequently moving back home in 2016. I received a reply within 2 weeks saying thank you for completing online competency test but no thank you. I continued with my job search....then in Sept I received an email inviting me for interview at the beginning of December. The interview would cover about 2.5 hours and would be stage based....first a written test, after which successful candidates would carry on...unsuccessful would go home. After the written test was a face to face with 2 interviewers...graded and competency based. You were allowed to bring in notes...which I didn't....and could refer back to them as often as needed. After this interview you were told to go out and wait in the waiting area while they graded your answers....again successful candidates were kept...unsuccessful were let go....I was told that I was successful and would be offered a start date once all the interviews were completed and they had everyones scores tallied (a list I presume) but that I could go to give my identification for the security check. After this we were told we could go home and they would be in touch with us within two to three weeks. The Friday before Christmas Day, I received an email saying I'm sorry....you are on a waiting list and if a job comes available within the next 12 months we will hire you. After the new year - the 3rd - I received another offer saying that I was being offered a provisional offer of employment based on my security background check. Two weeks after that, I was told that because I hadn't been in the country for 3 years, I could not work for the Home Office in this role. I checked on the HO website and it mentioned 2 years in the security screening section (which I had to research...wasn't on the original JD). I am absolutely livid that after almost a year of going through this process...NOW they tell me sorry - you didn't make the residency requirement for the security check...could this not have been decided BEFORE all the interviewing....testing...AND provisional job offer???? I have now been in the UK over the TWO years the HO website states is required for the CTC security check but am weary about applying again for a job with the HO for fear of being rejected after wasting another year of my life with their rigorous job application process.