Selective Services

[MrsRowe 2]

If you did not sign up for selective services and are now over the age of 26 can you still sign up or what do you do when applying for citizenship? My friend did not know about selective services and so did not sign up now he is applying for citizenship. Help!

[v333k 59]

I think you can... probably you need to provide USCIS a good justification why you didn't.

[jujuswife 1]

If you did not sign up for selective services and are now over the age of 26 can you still sign up or what do you do when applying for citizenship? My friend did not know about selective services and so did not sign up now he is applying for citizenship. Help!

Taken from Wikipedia, but the information is accurate:

Who must register

Under current law, all male U.S. citizens are required to register with Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. In addition, foreign males between the ages of 18 and 25 living in the United States must register. This includes permanent residents (holders of Green Cards), refugees, asylees, dual citizens, and illegal aliens.[2] Foreign males in the United States as lawful non-immigrants (international students, visitors, diplomats, etc.) are not required to register.[2] Failure to register as required is grounds for denying a petition for US citizenship.

In the current registration system a man cannot indicate that he is a conscientious objector (CO) to war when registering, but he can make such a claim when being drafted. Some men choose to write on the registration card "I am a conscientious objector to war" to document their conviction, even though the government will not have such a classification until there is a draft.[13] Several religious, nonsectarian, and secular organizations allow conscientious objectors to file a written record stating their beliefs.[14][15][16][17][18]

In 1987, Congress ordered the Selective Service System to put in place a system capable of drafting "persons qualified for practice or employment in a health care occupation", if such a special-skills draft should be ordered by Congress. In response, Selective Service published plans for the "Health Care Personnel Delivery System" (HCPDS) in 1989 and has had them ready ever since. The concept underwent a preliminary field exercise in Fiscal Year 1998, followed by a more extensive nationwide readiness exercise in Fiscal Year 1999.[19] The HCPDS plans include women and men age 20–54 in 57 job categories.[20]

Men who were female at birth and have changed sex are not required to register.[21] There is no consistent policy as to whether registration is allowed when not required. Failure to register can cause problems such as denial of Pell Grants, even when registration is not allowed.[22]

I'm not sure if they will take the explanation that "he did not know about it." Did he attend high school here because every male that attends school here will have known about it. They practically drill that into them, at least when I went to high school a few years ago

[ldobson 2]

Okay, Don't panic!

Heres my advice, go to https://www.sss.gov/...rification.aspx and do a registration search, you may find that although you did not register yourself, that USCIS/INS automatically registered you as part of

your immigration process.

If the search says that it was unable to find a match, still dont worry, its VERY likely that they dont have your social security number in their database (very common) give them a call on 1-888-655-1825 and tell them your name and the city and state you were in during your initial entry to the US, they can do a search and find your registration, and then can add your social security number to the record on file.

They will also be able to provide your SSS number and the date you were registered, and will also send you a copy of it on a postcard in the mail within 5-7 days.

Edited November 30, 2010 by ldobson

[MrsRowe 2]

Okay, Don't panic!

Heres my advice, go to https://www.sss.gov/...rification.aspx and do a registration search, you may find that although you did not register yourself, that USCIS/INS automatically registered you as part of

your immigration process.

If the search says that it was unable to find a match, still dont worry, its VERY likely that they dont have your social security number in their database (very common) give them a call on 1-888-655-1825 and tell them your name and the city and state you were in during your initial entry to the US, they can do a search and find your registration, and then can add your social security number to the record on file.

They will also be able to provide your SSS number and the date you were registered, and will also send you a copy of it on a postcard in the mail within 5-7 days.

Thank you so much. We searched and he was automatically registered. Thank you.