Do we need 120 day before expiration date of I94 to get a driver's license?

[matalie 1]

Hi everyone!

I hope someone can give us some advice! Matt and I had a great day today for AOS! We got tons accomplished but we went to the DMV today to get my new Maine driver's license and when I gave the woman working there my I-94, she told me that she couldn't switch my Canadian license to a Maine one because my I-94 was going to expire at the end of March! I only got here less than a week ago and she told me they needed at least 120 days left on it, in order for them to be able to issue me one. My I-94 is good for 90 days and I'm wondering if anyone else ran into this problem. She told us to go talk to our local DHS office and see if they can change our I-94. Is this something they can do? Should we really need 120 days before expiration?

If anyone knows anything about this, please help us out! My Canadian license expires in two weeks!

Thanks for any help VJers!

[Inky 1,110]

No they wont change the I-94, you will just have to wait till you get your greencard or go back and speak to someone else. Canada has an agreement with america and they should just change over your DL.

[YuAndDan 153]

Driving privileges are granted by state not the federal government, so rules are different for each state.

Most require SSN, and many require legal presence evidence, many require legal presence evidence 1 year or longer, (EAD card, Green-card, or I-94 that is valid 1 year or longer, like a K-3 I-94 card..)

Depending on what country you are from your state may or may not accept your foreign DL and may require you to go through the learners permit process. Canada tends to be exchanged.

Some states issue permits or DL that expire when EAD or GC expires other states issue 5 or even 8 year DLs

Can you renew your Canadian DL on line?? For example; NY State DMV allows NY residents to renew on line.

[newlyweds2010 208]

what is really funny about this BS of us foreigners allowed to drive in the US as tourists but not as "residents for driver's license purposes" is that, at least in California, they first give you all these problems with the proof of legal status (which basically makes it impossible to drive for several months), and then, just by presenting an EAD valid for 1 year as only proof of legal presence, the DMW will issue a driver's license that expires in 5 years (got mine less than a week ago).

even my conditional green card doesn't expire in 5 years! so now what? if I don't remove conditions or for some reasons they deny us, I will have 3 more years to go on the roads of America nonetheless?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

moved from AOS forum to Working & Travelling during US Immigration forum as DL discussion falls into this forum