Are Immigrants Required to Register with Selective Service?

Houston, TX (Law Firm Newswire) January 5, 2018 – In order to check to see who is required to register with Selective Service and what exceptions there are it is best to read the information available on the official Selective Service System website at: https://www.sss.gov/Portals/0/PDFs/WhoMustRegisterChart.pdf

“What you need to know is that the Selective Service is not the same thing as signing up with the U.S. Armed Services, as Selective Service is not considered to be a part of the Department of Defense (DoD),” said Houston immigration attorney, Annie Banerjee.

Selective Service is an autonomous branch of the U.S. government keeping information on all males between the ages of 18 and 25 who potentially qualify for military conscription. They must be either non-citizen immigrants or U.S. citizens and must submit their name within 30 days of the date of their 18 birthday.

The definition of a non-citizen immigrant is an individual with an immigrant visa who intends to stay in the U.S. Individuals in this category include:

· Refugees
· Parolees
· Those seeking asylum
· Legal permanent residents
· Undocumented immigrants

“A non-citizen immigrant between the ages of 18 and 25 years who acquires an immigrant visa ‘must’ register with Selective Service within 30 days of their arrival in the U.S.,” added Banerjee. “This includes dual nationals, as they are also considered to be U.S. immigrants.”

The exceptions to registering with Selective Service include:

· Those on active duty with the Reserve, Military or National Guard
· Non-immigrants not mandated to register (holders of F-1, B-2, H-1B visas etc.)
· Those with medical disabilities
· Conscientious objectors

In most cases, all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants, 18 through to 25-years-old must register with Selective Service. This does not mean a registered individual will automatically be inducted. A random lottery number and birth year would call men to service if a draft were set in motion in response to a military crisis. All of those called must pass a physical, mental and moral fitness examination. Those that do not pass those tests are either deferred or exempted.

If a U.S. male resident is a non-citizen, and between the ages of 18 to 25, they must also register with Selective Service within 30-days of arriving in the country. However, there are few exceptions to this category. Individuals on current non-immigrant visas and seasonal agricultural workers are exempt.

Learn more at http://www.visatous.com Law Offices of Annie Banerjee 131 Brooks Street, Suite #300 Sugar Land, Texas 77478 Phone: (281) 242-9139