| ‘Draft’ Registration By Debbie
McGoldrick
“Do females have to register for the draft in the U.S. after they get
their green cards? I heard that they did, and I’m afraid that I’ll be in
trouble with the law because I haven’t. How can I apply?”Females
do not have to register for “the draft,” as you put it. Actually, there
is no draft in the U.S., and hasn’t been since 1973. What you are referring
to is compliance with Selective Service laws, which require all males between
the ages of 18 and 25 to register with the U.S. government Selective Service
System.
Males receiving a green card between those ages will be given application
forms at the time of their permanent residence interview, and they must
be completed. Failure to do so can be a problem down the line, especially
in regard to obtaining U.S. citizenship.
There has been talk in the past of including women as part of Selective
Service requirements, and of increasing the age limit from 25 to 35. Nothing,
however, has ever come to pass of these proposals, which would face a huge
uphill battle to see the light of day.
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