An Important Step For Men To Remember

(NAPSI)—If you or someone you care about is a young man turning 18, you should know about a simple move that can change his whole future.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">What He Must Do<o:p></o:p></strong>

By law, he must register with the Selective Service System. The same is true for male immigrants, documented or not, between the ages of 18 through 25. Failure to register is a violation of the Military Selective Service Act and may result in imprisonment for up to five years and a fine of $250,000.

While most young men are aware of this and register promptly, within 30 days of their birthdays, those who don’t can find themselves in all sorts of difficulties.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">What He Could Forfeit<o:p></o:p></strong>

Registration is required for:

• Federal student loans and grant programs worth billions of dollars altogether

• Federal job training under the Workforce Investment Act

• Federal jobs or security clearance as a contractor

• U.S. citizenship for immigrants

• Driver’s licenses in some places.

Those are all good reasons for friends and relations to urge young men to sign up.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Signing Up Is Simple<o:p></o:p></strong>

To make registering easy, some high schools have a faculty or staff member who serves as a Selective Service registrar.

A Selective Service form may come in the mail and forms are available at U.S. post offices and U.S. embassies and consulates for Americans living abroad.

In addition, he can simply check “Yes” on the Selective Service Box on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. This lets the Department of Education send Selective Service your information.

Some people even send in their registration information as early as age 17 years and 3 months. The Selective Service System keeps the information on file, processes it automatically and sends an acknowledgment card.

Perhaps the easiest way is to get the online registration form at <a href="http://www.sss.gov/Registration/Register-Now/Registration-Form">www.sss.gov/Registration/Register-Now/Registration-Form</a>. A downloadable form is at <a href="http://www.sss.gov/Portals/0/PDFs/regform_copyINT.pdf">www.sss.gov/Portals/0/PDFs/regform_copyINT.pdf</a>.

<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Where To Learn More<o:p></o:p></strong>

For further information, visit <a href="http://www.sss.gov/">www.sss.gov</a>.

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On the Net:<a href="http://www.napsnet.com">North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)</a>

<p>Registering with the Selective Service System keeps men eligible for college loans, jobs and job training programs; even U.S. citizenship for immigrants. (NAPS)</p>