Permanent Resident - Needs Citizenship - BUT i HAVE A PROBLEM

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Richarab

Registered Users (C)
I will try to keep this as short as possible. I have only done a small amount of research but it's not looking good so far. I have been in the states since I was 6 years old. I am now 30. When I was 18, after graduating high school I joined the Navy. I was discharged for medical reasons after only 2 months. My green card expired last year and I just got it renewed ( No Problem ). Now I want to get my citizenship. Started filling out the form and come to a dead stop at the section asking about "selective services". Now, as far as I know I registered with them way back in the day. I went to their website and tried finding my number and it did not exists. Did some research and now I am stuck. Apparently I cant get citizenship if I did not register with them. Although on the actual application they say "you can submit information explaining why you never registered".. Don't know what I am supposed to do now. I don't want to send in the $675 and it just gets lost in the system..


Can anyone advise me? I really want to become a citizen and something like this is really "SH---Y" to stop me from getting it..

Please don't me why it took this long for me to want to get it..It's just one of those STUPID things people do..And if I can't then so be it..

Also. Maybe there is some kinda waver?
 
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Did you registered under a different name? Do you still have records that you served in the Nay and got discharged? You may contact SSS via phone to see if they can do a search to find your records. Otherwise, you can just stated that you have registered with SSS but wrote an explaination that you don't have the SSS # and cannot find the SSS # on the SSS system but also attached your military record there to show that you had been served in the arm forces. I believe as long as you had been served in the arm forces, you should be in good shape even if you cannot locate your registered SSS record. SSS service is just a system to draft civilians to serve in the military when needed but since you already had served in the military and is at age 30 now, there shouldn't be a problem.
 
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Although on the actual application they say "you can submit information explaining why you never registered".. Don't know what I am supposed to do now. I don't want to send in the $675 and it just gets lost in the system..
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If the issue is Selective Service, it won't just get lost in the system. You'll have the opportunity to explain yourself in the interview. All you have to do is show that you actually were in the military, and you'll be OK.

Note that if your parents became citizens before your 18th birthday, you probably automatically became a citizen when they did, and you don't need to go through this process. You would only need to apply for proof of citizenship in the form of a passport or N-600 certificate.
 
Hey jack..you mind chatting with me in private if you have a minute or two? Both my parents are citizens..But only after I turned 18 did they apply..I don't know if I can show proof of military because this was back in 1998 and I was only in for 2 months..In fact I think my own recruiter told me I did not have to sign up for selective services because I was about to enlist in the millitary..Also..Let's say I make it to the interview..can't the person doing the interview just say" to hell with you" and call the cops and throw me in jail? After all It is a felony..I graduated in may of 97 I turned 18 that july. I was shipped off the great lakes in september of 1998 and returned home in late november..
 
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Surely you must have received some papers when you got discharged. If you don't have those papers, there will be a record of it somewhere that can be obtained from the military.

And no, they can't just throw you in jail right after the interview for that. They can report you to the Selective Service, who can choose to send somebody after you later, but the Selective Service would check the military records first before sending anybody after you, so they would see that you already enlisted and you'll be OK. And once you're past 26 it's too late to register anyway so they're unlikely to follow up with anything unless there was an actual draft going on.
 
I don't have the discharge papers anymore. Only thing I can think of is going down to the same recruiters office and see if they can help me. I will call SSS on Monday and talk to someone first. Just hope this little issue is not going to be the deciding factor in this journey.

Let's say I can't get proof that I was in the navy, and obviously I cant sign up to be a citizenship without the SSS..Does that pretty much exclude my then? If I cannot show proof I was in the military and the SSS doesnt have my info that pretty much means I am screwed right?
 
Richarab said:
Let's say I can't get proof that I was in the navy, and obviously I cant sign up to be a citizenship without the SSS..Does that pretty much exclude my then? If I cannot show proof I was in the military and the SSS doesnt have my info that pretty much means I am screwed right?
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No. If you apply at age 31 or older they cannot deny your citizenship solely based on the failure to register. So if you cannot obtain that proof, just wait until you are 31.
 
Jackolantern said:
No. If you apply at age 31 or older they cannot deny your citizenship solely based on the failure to register. So if you cannot obtain that proof, just wait until you are 31.
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I am 31, does that mean that I won't need the SSS status letter when I go to the interview? I asked for it a week or two ago but haven't received it yet, but it doesn't seem like it's a big deal for people 31 and over?
 
FriscoDude said:
I am 31, does that mean that I won't need the SSS status letter when I go to the interview? I asked for it a week or two ago but haven't received it yet, but it doesn't seem like it's a big deal for people 31 and over?
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Correct. If you don't have the letter, and don't have any other offenses in your past, it's not a big deal because now that you are 31 the failure to register by itself is not grounds for denial of naturalization, because it is outside the 5-year moral character window (the registration period ended when you turned 26) and is not severe enough to be a permanent bar to naturalization. At your age they probably won't ask about it in the interview, but if you didn't register and they bring it up you should be prepared to defend yourself and point out your age and the 5-year window.

If you don't have the letter and you actually registered, you don't have to wait for the letter, you can just give the interviewer the printout from the SS website and they will accept it, as they can verify it online if they need to.
 
Jackolantern said:
Correct. If you don't have the letter, and don't have any other offenses in your past, it's not a big deal because now that you are 31 the failure to register by itself is not grounds for denial of naturalization, because it is outside the 5-year moral character window (the registration period ended when you turned 26) and is not severe enough to be a permanent bar to naturalization. At your age they probably won't ask about it in the interview, but if you didn't register and they bring it up you should be prepared to defend yourself and point out your age and the 5-year window.

If you don't have the letter and you actually registered, you don't have to wait for the letter, you can just give the interviewer the printout from the SS website and they will accept it, as they can verify it online if they need to.
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OK thanks for the info. I actually became a PR three months after my 26th birthday so I didn't register, but I requested a status letter from the SSS to be on the safe side.
 
so if all else fails..I understand from what I read above..that if I wait till I am 31 the SSS will be of NO ISSUE ? Hey jack..can you point me to a statue or a statement that clearly states the 5 year thing? Were can I go to print out information about that in case I need to show them..
 
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thanks alot Jack

EDIT : Turns out I did register..they just had my birthday wrong which is why the match was not coming up online. So I am sorry to have wasted your guy's time and energy. I hope someone got some tips though..Thanks for all your help guys..I will be telling my friends and family about this forum
 
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