Have I Ever Registered For Selective Service

Registering for the Selective Service

Themes/Topics: Law & Policy

Geography: National

Audience: Undocumented Youth

What is the Selective Service and do I need to annals?

The Selective Service System (SSS) allows the federal government to keep a listing of all men or people assigned male at birth (AMAB) who would exist available to serve as soldiers in the U.S. Armed Forces in the event that a mandatory draft became necessary. Co-ordinate to federal law, all men permanently living in the U.S., regardless of immigration status, between the ages of 18 and 26, must register for the Selective Service and should register within thirty days of their 18th birthday. A Social Security Number is not required to annals.

Preview of Selective Service registration form

It is important to register for the Selective Service even if y'all are undocumented because it could affect your future application for citizenship. To learn more than well-nigh how and why failure to annals could negatively touch your citizenship application, run across this ILRC exercise advisory.

Are there any risks in registering for Selective Service?

Registering for the SS does provide the federal authorities with your proper noun and accost, so the regime can contact you in the result of a mandatory typhoon. However, there has not been any type of mandatory typhoon since the 1970s. This ways that the SSS has never used those names to force people to fight with the U.S. Armed Forces. Notwithstanding, all men or AMAB people inside that age range are notwithstanding required to register.

In regards to sharing someone's immigration status, the SSS states:

They have not now, nor in the past collected or shared any information which would point a man'southward clearing condition, either documented or undocumented. The selective service system has no dominance to collect such information, has no use for information technology, and it is irrelevant to the registration requirement. Consequently, in that location is no immigration information to share with anyone.

How practice I register?

As an undocumented male person or AMAB person, you lot must register for Selective Service past post. You should not try to annals online at the sss.gov website. Follow these steps instead:

Impress and make full out this printable postcard and postal service it to the SSS. This postcard is available at your local U.Due south. Mail service Offices and at sss.gov. Be sure to attach appropriate postage. When you mail the postcard, get a "proof of mailing" from the Post Office. That way, even if your card gets lost or non properly added to the SSS, you lot tin prove in a future citizenship application that you complied with the registration requirement. This volition serve equally proof that you sent in your Selective Service registration.

How long does the process take?

Selective Service registration processing takes 1 to 2 months. Information technology's of import to begin the process equally before long as possible after turning xviii. In one case you lot have been successfully registered, the government will mail you a Selective Service Registration Card. If you do not receive a card within that time frame, contact the SSS. Be sure to go on a copy of this card because you might be required to show information technology subsequently on.

Sample image showing registration acknowledgement of Selective Service registration. — Sample of Selective Service registration acknowledgement letter.

How do I provide proof that I registered for Selective Service?

You tin verify that you successfully registered for the Selective Service by providing a re-create of your Selective Service Registration Card.

If I register for Selective Service, does that hateful I'm eligible to serve in the U.Due south. Armed forces?

The SSS does not make up one's mind whether a person is eligible to go a U.South. Armed forces service member. See: usa.gov/join-armed services for details. Generally, merely U.Due south. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (people with green cards) are allowed to serve in the U.S. military machine. In that location take been limited exceptions to this rule, such equally the MAVNI program which is not currently agile. So even if there were a future draft from the SSS, there would take to be another change in law or policy to allow undocumented people to serve.

Registrants 26 and Older

The SSS cannot accept a registration from anyone who has already reached their 26th birthday. Therefore, if you are a male or AMAB person who is 26 or older merely did not register for the Selective Service, you lot are considered a "non-registrant." For more information, go to sss.gov, select "Registration," and then select " Men 26 and Older."

Registrants Under 18

The SSS cannot accept a registration from anyone who is under 18 years old. Therefore, students tin await until 30 days before their 18th birthday and mail in the Selective Service Registration Card.

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