USCIS’ Policy Regarding Selective Service Registration (7/14/17)

 

Selective Service Registration

 

In general, males must register with Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday, but not after 26 years of age.  Applicants may register for Selective Service at their local post office, return a Selective Service registration card received by mail, or online at the Selective Service System website.  Confirmation of registration may be obtained by calling (847) 688-6888, or online at www.sss.gov.  USCIS officers may also accept other persuasive evidence presented by an application as proof of registration.

 

USCIS will deny an application for naturalization when the applicant refuses to register with Selective Service or has knowingly and willfully failed to register.  The USCIS officer may request a status information letter and registration acknowledgement card before concluding that an applicant failed to register.

 

A status information letter will indicate whether an applicant was required to register for Selective Service.  If the status information letter indicates that an applicant was required to register, the applicant must show that his failure to register was not a knowing or willful act.  When determining if an applicant’s failure to register was knowing or willful, USCIS uses the following guidelines:

 

Applicants Under 26 Years of Age

The applicant is generally ineligible to naturalize

Applicants Between 26 and 31 Years of Age

The applicant may be ineligible to naturalize.  USCIS will allow the applicant an opportunity to show that he did not knowingly or willfully fail to register, or that he was not required to do so.

Applicants Over 31 Years of Age

The applicant is eligible to naturalize.

 

The following classes of males are not required to register for Selective Service:

  1. Males over the age of 26.
  2. Males who did not live in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 26.
  3. Males who lived in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 26, but who maintained lawful nonimmigrant status for the entire period.
  4. Males born after March 29, 1957 and before December 31, 1959.
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