U.S. immigrants are required by law to register with the Selective Service System 30 days after their 18th birthday or 30 days after entry into the United States if they are between the ages of 18 and 25. This includes U.S.
Was the Selective Service Act a law?
To that end, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which Wilson signed into law on May 18, 1917. The act required all men in the U.S. between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for military service . ... Of the almost 4.8 million Americans who eventually served in the war, some 2.8 million had been drafted.
Is it illegal not to register for Selective Service?
If required to register with Selective Service, failure to register is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment. Also, a person who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to fail to comply with the registration requirement is subject to the same penalties.
Can you refuse Selective Service?
What Happens If You Don't Register for Selective Service. If you are required to register and you don't, you will not be eligible for federal student aid, federal job training, or a federal job. You may be prosecuted and face a fine of up to $250,000 and/or jail time of up to five years.
Is Selective Service legally required?
Yes, you are still required to register with Selective Service . Virtually all men must register with Selective Service, even those who believe they'll be exempt from serving. In the event of a draft, men called for induction would be able to make a claim for deferments, postponements, or exemption from serving.
Do females have to register for Selective Service?
As of January 2016, there has been no decision to require females to register with Selective Service , or be subject to a future military draft. Selective Service continues to register only men, ages 18 through 25.
Who is exempt from Selective Service?
You are exempt from Selective Service registration if you can prove you were continuously institutionalized or confined from 30 days before you turned 18 through age 25 . If you were released for any period longer than 30 days during this window, you were required to register with the Selective Service System.
How long does Selective Service last?
Selective Service accepts late registrations up until a man reaches his 26 th birthday . Failure to register is a felony and non-registrants may be denied the following benefits for life: State-based student loans and grant programs in 31 states.
Who is exempt from being drafted?
Veterans , generally exempt from service in peacetime draft. Immigrants and dual nationals in some cases may be exempt from U.S. military service depending upon their place of residence and country of citizenship.
Is the Selective Service Act still in effect?
While the draft ended after the Vietnam War when the U.S. moved to the current all-volunteer military, the Selective Service System remains in place if needed to maintain national security . The mandatory registration of all male civilians aged 18 to 25 ensures that the draft can quickly be resumed if needed.
Who passed the Selective Service Act?
The Selective Service Act, signed by Pres. Woodrow Wilson on May 18, 1917, created the Selective Service System, which managed the induction of some 2.8 million men into the armed forces over the next two years and abolished the much maligned bounty system.
Why is selective service important?
The Selective Service System and the registration requirement for America's young men provide our Nation with a structure and a system of guidelines which will provide the most prompt, efficient, and equitable draft possible, if the country should need it.
Can you be drafted if it's against your religion?
Today, all conscientious objectors are required to register with the Selective Service System. A conscientious objector is one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles.
Can you be drafted at age 35?
All males between the ages of 21 and 35 are ordered to register for the draft and the first national lottery is held. ... President Truman asks that the draft be reinstated. The new Selective Service Act provides for the drafting of men between 19 and 26 for twelve months of active service.
Is the draft still a thing?
A brief history of registration
There has not been a draft in the U.S. since 1973 , when Congress allowed the existing draft authorization, conscripting men into service in the Vietnam War, to expire. Two years later, President Gerald Ford suspended men's responsibility to register for the draft.
What are reasons to not be drafted?
- Obesity. An FMWR group fitness class student at work at the Sgt. ...
- Education. Sgt. ...
- Criminal Records. ...
- Health Problems. ...
- Drugs. ...
- The Usual Reasons.
