U.S law requires all male citizens and male immigrants to register for the Selective Service when they turn 18. It actually doesn’t matter whether you are a U.S citizen or not, which means undocumented immigrants also have to go through with it. This applies to men aged 18 to 25. Registering means their name could be used if a draft ever happens.

The question ‘Are undocumented males required to register?’ appears in the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section of the Selective Service System (SSS) website.

It reads: “Yes. All undocumented males 18 through 25 years of age, other than those admitted on non-immigrant visas, must register, whether or not they have a green card.”

Those who choose not to sign up for the Selective Service could face legal trouble. According to the Selective Service System website, individuals who don’t register may face consequences.

They could be fined up to $250,000 and/or five years in prison, be ineligible for state-based student loans and grants in 31 states, be ineligible for federal job training programs, disqualified from many federal jobs, including some state and local, or, for immigrants, get up to a five-year delay in U.S citizenship proceedings.

Exceptions from being drafted

However, some people are not required to register. For example, men visiting the country with certain visas—such as tourist or student visas—do not have to register.

Even if someone registers, it does not always mean they will be drafted. Certain people may qualify for exemptions, for example, if you’re a member of the clergy or if you’re a male student preparing to take on a ministry.

Moreover, certain family situations, such as having a sole surviving son, may also exempt a person from the draft. People who are already serving in the military are, of course, not drafted either.

For now, there are no official plans to start a draft in the United States. Still, because the registration system already exists, the government could activate it in the future if the country needed more soldiers. For many Americans, the situation is a reminder that, even though the draft has not been used for decades, the system remains in place.

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