questions about selective service registration

[cchong]

I am over 26, what do I need to do in regards to selective service registration. I am now a green card holder, a former asylee, and was on a non-immigrant visas before my 26th birthday (initially F1 and later H1B status). I was exempt from registering with the Selective Service. Now, I am going back to school and applied for federal loans. I received a letter from the university about my registration status with the Selective Service. What do I need to do? Is there a way to apply for exemption and have a permanenet record for the grant of the exemption?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Minsk]

I am over 26, what do I need to do in regards to selective service registration. I am now a green card holder, a former asylee, and was on a non-immigrant visas before my 26th birthday (initially F1 and later H1B status). I was exempt from registering with the Selective Service. Now, I am going back to school and applied for federal loans. I received a letter from the university about my registration status with the Selective Service. What do I need to do? Is there a way to apply for exemption and have a permanenet record for the grant of the exemption?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Just relax. I was registered whis Selective Services when I applied for my first student laon through FAFSA. It's nothing to be worried about.

 

[mesbahul]

I am over 26, what do I need to do in regards to selective service registration. I am now a green card holder, a former asylee, and was on a non-immigrant visas before my 26th birthday (initially F1 and later H1B status). I was exempt from registering with the Selective Service. Now, I am going back to school and applied for federal loans. I received a letter from the university about my registration status with the Selective Service. What do I need to do? Is there a way to apply for exemption and have a permanenet record for the grant of the exemption?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

You need to go to www.sss.gov to see if you are already registered with Selective Services. My brother was automatically registered and I was not. If you are not, you will need to write to Selective Services and get a letter from them. You can do this through their website. After you receive their generic letter, go to the College Financial Aid office and they will tell you what to do next. Keep Selective Services letter with you. You will need it whenever you apply for anything related to the Federal Gov't like jobs, citizenship. It is not a big deal. I am in the same boat and I received financial aid.

 

[thankful]

At what age did you lose your non immigrant status?

 

[cchong]

At what age did you lose your non immigrant status?

Hello Thankful,

I lose my non immigrant status when I got my asylum status at age 29. I was on an F1 and applied for OPT after college. Then I changed my status to H1B. Although there was a month gap, I was technically still considered as non-immigrant since my application for H1B was pending before my OPT expired.

 

[cchong]

You need to go to www.sss.gov to see if you are already registered with Selective Services. My brother was automatically registered and I was not. If you are not, you will need to write to Selective Services and get a letter from them. You can do this through their website. After you receive their generic letter, go to the College Financial Aid office and they will tell you what to do next. Keep Selective Services letter with you. You will need it whenever you apply for anything related to the Federal Gov't like jobs, citizenship. It is not a big deal. I am in the same boat and I received financial aid.

Thank you mesbahul.

 

[cchong]

Just relax. I was registered whis Selective Services when I applied for my first student laon through FAFSA. It's nothing to be worried about.

Minsk did you mean you did not register with the Selective Service as well.

 

[thankful]

Hello Thankful,

I lose my non immigrant status when I got my asylum status at age 29. I was on an F1 and applied for OPT after college. Then I changed my status to H1B. Although there was a month gap before my OPT expired and my approval of H1B, I was technically still considered as non-immigrant since my application for H1B was pending before my OPT expired.

If I followed your dates correctly then you are fine. Just provide the facts to the school financial aid office.

As a general rule you have no obligation to register as long as you have a non-immigrant visa. And the SSS registration ceases to apply to you once you are 26. The situation would have been different if you started the asylum process at the age of 25 or before.

 

[cchong]

If I followed your dates correctly then you are fine. Just provide the facts to the school financial aid office.

As a general rule you have no obligation to register as long as you have a non-immigrant visa. And the SSS registration ceases to apply to you once you are 26. The situation would have been different if you started the asylum process at the age of 25 or before.

Hello Thankful,

I am glad to here that. I started my ayslum application process in March 2002, when I was 29 years old, and got the approval in May 2002. I was very fortunate that the process took only two months. So I am fine.

How is my situation going to complicate my application for Naturalization. Do I need to provide them explaination as well? Does it make sense to get a letter from SSS or am I wasting my time? Thank again for getting back to me so quickly.

 

[thankful]

Hello Thankful,

I am glad to here that. I started my ayslum application process in March 2002, when I was 29 years old, and got the approval in May 2002. I was very fortunate that the process took only two months. So I am fine.

How is my situation going to complicate my application for Naturalization. Do I need to provide them explaination as well? Does it make sense to get a letter from SSS or am I wasting my time? Thank again for getting back to me so quickly.

You never had an obligation to register and this will not affect your citizenship. I would get a letter from SSS. Go to this link (http://www.sss.gov/instructions.html), fill out the form, attach your documentation and send it in. You should get back an official letter from them saying that you were not required to register. That should take care of this issue.

 

[thankful]

As an aside, undocumented aliens are required to register. Failure to do that could be a basis for denial of amnesty (if and when an amnesty became law).

 

[cchong]

You never had an obligation to register and this will not affect your citizenship. I would get a letter from SSS. Go to this link (http://www.sss.gov/instructions.html), fill out the form, attach your documentation and send it in. You should get back an official letter from them saying that you were not required to register. That should take care of this issue.

Hello Thankful,

Thanks again for getting back to me. I hope you don't mind answering one more question.

As I mentioned early, I first admitted to the US as an F1 student, and applied for OPT and subsequently H1B after college. Do I need to provide a copy of my OPT employment card when submitting my supporting documents? Would it be sufficient for me to just submit a copy of my I-20 and H1B approval letter? The reason I ask is becuase I don't want to confuse the SSS when they see a one-month gap between my OPT and my H1B approval and mistakely consider I was "illegal" during that one month gap; therefore, I was subject to register with the Selective Service. I am concerned that officers at the SSS are not familiar with the technicality of immigration laws.

Thank you very much.

 

[thankful]

Hello Thankful,

Thanks again for getting back to me. I hope you don't mind answering one more question.

As I mentioned early, I first admitted to the US as an F1 student, and applied for OPT and subsequently H1B after college. Do I need to provide a copy of my OPT employment card when submitting my supporting documents? Would it be sufficient for me to just submit a copy of my I-20 and H1B approval letter? The reason I ask is becuase I don't want to confuse the SSS when they see a one-month gap between my OPT and my H1B approval and mistakely consider I was "illegal" during that one month gap; therefore, I was subject to register with the Selective Service. I am concerned that officers at the SSS are not familiar with the technicality of immigration laws.

Thank you very much.

I would just submit your I-20 and HIB paperwork plus a document showing that you first applied for asylum at the age of 29. They will ask you for more information (in the unlikely event) that they need more.


Feel free to ask me anything at any time.

 

[cchong]

I would just submit your I-20 and HIB paperwork plus a document showing that you first applied for asylum at the age of 29. They will ask you for more information (in the unlikely event) that they need more.


Feel free to ask me anything at any time.

Hello Thankful,

Thanks again for answering my questions.

 

[nheger]

I would just submit your I-20 and HIB paperwork plus a document showing that you first applied for asylum at the age of 29. They will ask you for more information (in the unlikely event) that they need more.


Feel free to ask me anything at any time.

Thanks thankful -

I also have a question on the SSS. I have honestly never heard of it, but I am now in the process of becoming naturalized and came upon it in the USCIS naturalization how-to.

I am born in June 1972.

I entered the USA first in 1996 when I was 24 on an academic exchange visa (J2 - I am not sure?). Then in 1998 I left the country and came back on a H1-B - I was 25 at the time. I am not sure when but the company I worked for applied for the greencard soon thereafter (it was part of my employment package). I was still on the H1-B though, entering and leaving on that, filling out the I-94 every time.

In 2001 I got my greencard in May, I was 28.

I have two questions:
- Did I have to sign up for the SSS? I believe not because I didn't get my greencard until I was 28?!
- How do I prove this now? I don't have the exact dates I entered, I don't have the passport from that time anymore. Does the USCIS or another government office keep those records and are they accessible? In order to fill out the SSS form, they want to know dates I entered and left the USA - I know the years, and approximate month, but I don't know the exact days. This is 15 years ago, I don't have records of that - I didn't think that I'd stay in the USA at that time in any case.

Thanks for any info.