Undocumented Immigrants Registering for Selective Service
With very few exceptions, all males between ages 18 and 25 must register with the Selective Service System (SSS) within 30 days of arriving in the United States. This includes undocumented immigrants. For many undocumented immigrants, submitting their personal information to a government agency brings on fears of being reported to immigration authorities which may lead to deportation. However, the Selective Service System states that it has not now, or ever in the past, collected or shared any information which would indicate a man's immigration status, either documented or undocumented. In addition, the Selective Service System states that it has no authority to collect such information, has no use for it, and it is irrelevant to the registration requirement. https://www.sss.gov/Registration-Info/Who-Registration
On the other hand, failing to register with the Selective Service System may be grounds for USCIS to deny an application for Naturalization/Citizenship. This is especially important now that the U.S. government is working hard to create a path to citizenship for undocumented aliens, such as DACA beneficiaries. So what can you do? Applicants who are least age 18 and under the age of 26 should take action now to register. Applicants between 26 and 31 years of age should not apply for U.S. citizenship unless they can show that they did not knowingly or willfully fail to register, or that they were not required to do so. If you are 31 years old or older, then you can apply because the failure to register would be outside of the statutory five-year period during which the applicant must show that he is of good moral character and disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States.
Contact Sterling Law if you want to apply for Naturalization/Citizenship but have not registered for Selective Service. 231-486-0559 / sterlinglawoffice.net
The information in this post is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from Sterling Law or the individual author nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the reader’s licensing jurisdiction.
