Im a 20 year old male who has a South African citizenship. Always wanted to be in the military but wont join South Africans for obvious reasons.
I'v kept fit and strong so would be hard for me to do any extra training.

My first choice of military was the US but its very hard to get in there due to the green card.
Second choice was the British Army but they are no longer accepting commonwealth citizens as of last year July.
Canada and Australia also require citizenship.

Iv come to the conclusion the FFL is my next step and wanted to hear if its the right step or if there are other ways to get into the above ones easily(meaning not having to live in the country for 5 years first etc) or a military i haven't mentioned that i should consider?

any input would be appreciated

I can't speak for any other country or any other service within my military but to join the US Army you do need a green card. A faster route to obtaining it would be to attain a student visa to attend a university here and work within that universities international student agency to expedite the processing of your green card. Once you have a green card you can go strait to an Army recruiting office and start the process of joining and you can likely have your US citizenship awarded before you complete your advanced individual training.

However, understand that you have to pass the minimum physical requirements to join and your paperwork will be much more extensive than a natural born citizen. If you are disqualified from service (which could be for something as minor as having minor asthma, a heart murmur as an infant, or taking any medication ever for depression) you are stuck and will never be allowed to join the service. Some candidates have medical problems they are not even aware of until they go through a military processing station that discovers through a very comprehensive physical that they do not qualify. Just some food for thought.

Originally Posted by brinktk

I can't speak for any other country or any other service within my military but to join the US Army you do need a green card. A faster route to obtaining it would be to attain a student visa to attend a university here and work within that universities international student agency to expedite the processing of your green card. Once you have a green card you can go strait to an Army recruiting office and start the process of joining and you can likely have your US citizenship awarded before you complete your advanced individual training.

However, understand that you have to pass the minimum physical requirements to join and your paperwork will be much more extensive than a natural born citizen. If you are disqualified from service (which could be for something as minor as having minor asthma, a heart murmur as an infant, or taking any medication ever for depression) you are stuck and will never be allowed to join the service. Some candidates have medical problems they are not even aware of until they go through a military processing station that discovers through a very comprehensive physical that they do not qualify. Just some food for thought.

Hi,

How would that work? My Brother is studying in the US and is about to start his forth year, he hasn't got his green card yet or heard anything about getting it before 5 years of living in the US.

Physical requirements, as far as im aware i would handle them no problem, Im a sporty person and am fit and strong, desk job has never been my thing.
Never had anything serious illness when i was a baby or even up till now. Had my eyes tested last year and i dont need glasses, I did however have surgery on my shoulder over 2 years ago but the doctor cleared(can get a letter) me to join the military or do anything i want as my shoulder is stronger than before i injured it. My should has never given me any issues since the surgery and i put pressure on it with gym and i do Krav Maga which puts massive pressure on it and its been perfect.

Originally Posted by Wesleydn

Physical requirements, as far as im aware i would handle them no problem, Im a sporty person and am fit and strong

So are 10.000 other guys. The Army is not looking for Rambotypes. Virtually anyone can be trained to meet the minimum requirements.

Originally Posted by Wesleydn

desk job has never been my thing.

And this tells me that you are not fully aware of what’s required to become a soldier in these days. The army is far more interested in your academic level than your physical strength. It's about your knowledge of language, mathematics, logical sense, society and the world. And this is where most people fail. All countries have such test you must pass.

The last I heard about FFL, is that they currently do not accept people who are not former military because of the large number of people who applies

But you can try to give them a call.

Originally Posted by Wesleydn

Hi,

How would that work? My Brother is studying in the US and is about to start his forth year, he hasn't got his green card yet or heard anything about getting it before 5 years of living in the US.

Physical requirements, as far as im aware i would handle them no problem, Im a sporty person and am fit and strong, desk job has never been my thing.
Never had anything serious illness when i was a baby or even up till now. Had my eyes tested last year and i dont need glasses, I did however have surgery on my shoulder over 2 years ago but the doctor cleared(can get a letter) me to join the military or do anything i want as my shoulder is stronger than before i injured it. My should has never given me any issues since the surgery and i put pressure on it with gym and i do Krav Maga which puts massive pressure on it and its been perfect.

It depends on the university and how effective the international student agency is in dealing with the immigration office. Your best bet would be to research a university you're interested in and then call them specifically about attendance and then the green card process.

As for the physical aspect, I can tell you that regardless of your physical aptitude at the moment, they will take a look at that shoulder and it will likely delay any entrance into any military. Much of the rigors of doing training within a military go beyond what most have done in a gym, particularly within the combat arms branches. That's not to say you won't get in...just understand that it's going to take patience and persistence on your part to achieve your goal if it is truly what you want to do. Understand, the US Army is downsizing at the moment as has a huge body to choose from within its' own citizens that are easily qualified to join the service. Something to consider as well...

Kesse81 is correct about the brains portion as well. You will be exponentially more valuable to a team if you can think your way through problems instead of muscling your way through them...There ARE instances where brute strength and endurance are needed...at the times they are needed it is more of a test of will and heart as opposed to gym performance...Besides, you'll get a helluva lot further getting out of the gym and going up and down hills or mountains either running or humping a rucksack. Lots of sore feet and aching backs in our line of work as opposed to arms and pectorals.

Start on endurance training rather than strength training.
Endurance is all about pushing the limits, and you need it if you get into the military. Your endurance training must be so hard that you feel yourself relatively hard challenged. Endurance and a posetive attitude twenty four seven is what gets you through.

OK maybe i miss worded what i said.

I go to gym and keep fit and strong (im not a gym bunny who only gyms to get big). I do weights to keep strong yes but i also run 2.4km every day before i gym and im trying to get the time below 9min. I do cardio every odd day as well where i push my body. Saturdays i go for long walks in my military boots which i imported from the UK.

And i mean by desk job as in being behind a desk all day every day for example tele sales or tech support. I know every job has at some paper work/ desk work.

I am a thinker and im involved in a "block watch" where we do joint operations with the local police (these last for at least 8 hours when we do them and i am wearing a level 3 AK-47 resistant bulletproof which iv gotten used to and dont feel anymore), these operations involved raids, road blocks, chases etc where you need to been on your toes and we have been in situations where shots are fired.

Im a logical thinker who can think out the box when needed and i can process and make decision very quickly under stressful circumstances like the ones above.

It sounds fine mate.
And it will also give you a mental baggage you can build on. But police work is very different from being a professional soldier.
But I do hope you get a chance to try out life as a soldier.