New Permanent Resident getting California Driving License

[SoniaKaur 0]

Hi,

I will be entering LAX next month as a permanent resident (CR-1) status from the UK. I am slightly confused as to whether I am required to get a Californian driving license within 10 days of landing (I do hold a valid UK driving license).

I have copied the requirements below from the CA DMV webite:

If you become a California resident, you must get a California DL within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents.

As a permanent resident can i vote in the California election? There doesn't seem to be a clear consensus online regarding state elections.

If I need to obtain a driving license within 10 days how is this even possible??! I need to wait for my green card and SSN which i believe is taking some people 3 months! Also I am aware that there are delays with getting behind the wheel test.

Additionally, I can see the new requirement for the real ID. Could i just apply for a real ID straight away, or do i need to apply for DL and then convert to the real ID? 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Edited July 27, 2022 by SoniaKaur

[Crazy Cat 41,981]

Do NOT register to vote!  That could have extremely serious consequences.  

24 minutes ago, SoniaKaur said:

As a permanent resident can i vote in the California election? There doesn't seem to be a clear consensus online regarding state elections.

It is very clear.

Who Can Vote in California :: California Secretary of State

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[powerpuff 6,734]

I would steer clear of any voter registrations. It is grounds for citizenship denial and lifetime bar form the US with no waivers available. I’m always paranoid when filling out forms to be sure I don’t accidentally check mark something or God forbid if another person does something on my behalf. 
 

36 minutes ago, SoniaKaur said:

If I need to obtain a driving license within 10 days how is this even possible??! I need to wait for my green card and SSN which i believe is taking some people 3 months! Also I am aware that there are delays with getting behind the wheel test.

Well, of course in circumstances that are beyond your control you can’t apply and that’s the end of the story. You don’t have to wait for a plastic card, the I-551 stamp in your passport serves as such for a year.

 

36 minutes ago, SoniaKaur said:

Additionally, I can see the new requirement for the real ID. Could i just apply for a real ID straight away, or do i need to apply for DL and then convert to the real ID?

You can apply straight away, at least here in NY. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by powerpuff

[Mike E 11,741]

46 minutes ago, SoniaKaur said:

Hi,

I will be entering LAX next month as a permanent resident (CR-1) status from the UK. I am slightly confused as to whether I am required to get a Californian driving license within 10 days of landing (I do hold a valid UK driving license).

I am a former (as of June 2022 - yay!) California resident.  
 

If you want to continue drive in California, by law you have to apply for a drivers license within ten days of becoming a resident. Or you can stop driving by day 9.  
 

The reality is that it is impossible for someone with a drivers license issued by another country to get a California drivers license in 10 days because foreign drivers licenses are not transferable. Meaning  

 

1. Unlike drivers holding licenses from other states of the USA, holders of licenses from foreign countries will not have a behind the wheel road test waived. 
 

2. Unlike some other states, California requires road tests to be done by state employees instead of driving schools 

 

3. California has been capacity limited on road  tests for past 10 years (at least)

 

4. Thus it can take 6 months to get a road test 

 

Hopefully you can afford Uber / Lyft for the next 6 months. 
 

Quote

 .As a permanent resident can i vote in the California election? There doesn't seem to be a clear consensus online regarding state elections.

Legally you can vote in some local elections in some locales. However, most ballots of most local elections also have items for primaries and elections for federal  and/or state wide offices.  You will be hard pressed when you naturalize to prove you didn’t vote or register to vote in a federal or state wide election. Thus my advice is to refuse to register  to vote, and do not vote in local elections even if legally permitted, and don’t vote at all. Especially   when the motor vehicle department pressures you to register. And the pressure will be intense even though they know you aren’t a citizen. You will also get mail from the government pressuring you to vote and to serve on a jury.  
 

The Motor / Voter Act is the greatest anti immigrant law since the internment of people of Japanese descent.  
 

Quote

If I need to obtain a driving license within 10 days how is this even possible??! I need to wait for my green card and SSN which i believe is taking some people 3 months! Also I am aware that there are delays with getting behind the wheel test.

It isn’t possible 

Quote

Additionally, I can see the new requirement for the real ID. Could i just apply for a real ID straight away, or do i need to apply for DL and then convert to the real ID? 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

You will need an SSN.  Once you have that, if there are 60 days or more left on your I-551 (either the temporary one you got at the port of entry or your green card) you can get REAL ID.  

Edited July 27, 2022 by Mike E

[JeanneAdil 6,561]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

I am a former (as of June 2022 - yay!) California resident.  
 

If you want to continue drive in California, by law you have to apply for a drivers license within ten days of becoming a resident. Or you can stop driving by day 9.  
 

The reality is that it is impossible for someone with a drivers license issued by another country to get a California drivers license in 10 days because foreign drivers licenses are not transferable. Meaning  

 

1. Unlike drivers holding licenses from other states of the USA, holders of licenses from foreign countries will not have a behind the wheel road test waived. 
 

2. Unlike some other states, California requires road tests to be done by state employees instead of driving schools 

 

3. California has been capacity limited on road  tests for past 10 years (at least)

 

4. Thus it can take 6 months to get a road test 

 

Hopefully you can afford Uber / Lyft for the next 6 months. 
 

Legally you can vote in some local elections in some locales. However, most ballots of most local elections also have items for primaries and elections for federal  and/or state wide offices.  You will be hard pressed when you naturalize to prove you didn’t vote or register to vote in a federal or state wide election. Thus my advice is to refuse to register  to vote, and do not vote in local elections even if legally permitted, and don’t vote at all. Especially   when the motor vehicle department pressures you to register. And the pressure will be intense even though they know you aren’t a citizen. You will also get mail from the government pressuring you to vote and to serve on a jury.  
 

The Motor / Voter Act is the greatest anti immigrant law since the internment of people of Japanese descent.  
 

It isn’t possible 

You will need an SSN.  Once you have that, if there are 60 days or more left on your I-551 (either the temporary one you got at the port of entry or your green card) you can get REAL ID.  

Best information

 

and Congratulations

[Family 4,025]

2 hours ago, Mike E said:

I am a former (as of June 2022 - yay!) California resident

Like any ex , she had some good qualities …

 

AB-60 ( DL for undocumented) passed in 2013 and that’s about as pro immigration as any state can go.

 

**I believe AZ fought to deny them  “ illegals” til they finally gave up in 2016 https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/arizona-gives-up-challenge-to-immigrant-drivers-licenses/75-2906e523-6e08-4aa0-ac5b-703361ec4efe

One can always apply immediately under AB-60 , the application itself is good enough to be on the road legally….and of course make a trip to update once the status cards begin rolling in ( SS , I-765, I-551…etc) 

 

[Mike E 11,741]

1 minute ago, Family said:

 

 

AB-60 ( DL for   can always apply immediately under AB-60 , the application itself is good enough to be on the road legally….and of course make a trip to update once the status cards begin rolling in ( SS , I-765, I-551…etc) 

 

AB-60 is not an end run around the requirement for a road test.  It is an end run around the requirement for an SSN and evidence of authorized presence. 

[Family 4,025]

1 minute ago, Mike E said:

4 minutes ago, Family said:

 

 

AB-60 ( DL for   can always apply immediately under AB-60 , the application itself is good enough to be on the road legally….and of course make a trip to update once the status cards begin rolling in ( SS , I-765, I-551…etc) 

 

AB-60 is not an end run around the requirement for a road test.  It is an end run around the requirement for an SSN and evidence of authorized presence

It puts everyone on “ the books” so to speak, rather than hiding in the shadows of fear …of a ticket , an accident…a traffic stop where one ends up w a double date Sheriff/ CHP/CBP 

 

Yes, road tests are for all , the only way to speed them up is to go to a small DMV office w cities around 40 k population. Plenty of those within 30 minutes of Anywhere CA.

 

 

[JeanneAdil 6,561]

14 minutes ago, Mike E said:

AB-60 is not an end run around the requirement for a road test.  It is an end run around the requirement for an SSN and evidence of authorized presence. 

this is right

and an international license is also not what u need as moving there makes u a permanent resident   not a visitor

 

AB-60 is for those (illegls ) who can not prove there are in US legally / u have proof / you have the CR1 

 

AB 60 driver’s licenses (DL) are for individuals who are unable to provide proof of legal presence in the United States (U.S.), but who meet California DMV requirements and are able to provide proof of identity and California residency.

Edited July 27, 2022 by JeanneAdil

[Family 4,025]

2 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

AB-60 is for those (illegls ) who can not prove there are in US legally / u have proof / you have the CR1 

It is for those undocumented…including those who lack sufficient “ documents” to obtain unrestricted DL. IT IS available for ALL and does NOT label one as an “ILLEGAL “ .

[Family 4,025]

11 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

are unable to provide proof of legal presence in the United States (U.S.), but who meet California DMV requirements and are able to provide proof of identity and California residency.

With all due respect, “ provide proof of legal presence “ means you lack proof ( documentation) not necessarily status. 
I can attest it is granted to ALL and an immediate solution for anyone that finds themselves stuck waiting for the SS/I-551 or I-765. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Family

[JeanneAdil 6,561]

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/undocumented_immigrant

undocumented immigrant

Primary tabs

 

Undocumented immigrants are individuals who have either illegally entered the United States without inspection, or legally entered the United States with valid nonimmigrant visas but those visas have expired. For instance, an individual issued a student F-1 visa can become undocumented if they do not fulfill the minimum course of study requirement or if they work without authorization. See: 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f).

Undocumented immigrants live in the United States without legal immigration status. They are not provided work authorizations and there are no pathways for them to gain citizenship. Immigration officers have the power to interrogate, search, arrest and detain them. See: 8 U.S.C. § 1357(a). When undocumented immigrants are arrested and detained “pending a decision on whether to be removed from the U.S.” the attorney general may release them on bonds of more than $1,500 or parole. See: 8 U.S.C. § 1226. 

[Family 4,025]

No dispute on definitions or statutes . 
DMV is not requiring one must meet either , just allows AND grants DLs under AB-60 to those who lack “ checklist proof “ for unrestricted DL…..

 

You know like getting hired as a housekeeper but eligible to apply for Director of OP’s , if you can show your Masters. 

[Mike E 11,741]

27 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

 

 

AB-60 is for those (illegls ) who can not prove there are in US legally / u have proof / you have the CR1

.

Despite having an I-485 receipt, and a combo card, my wife was not permitted to have a REAL ID California DL. Even though she possessed a California REAL ID state ID      
 

Indeed when I moved to California, despite presenting a green card, I was denied a REAL ID California DL.  
 

AB60 documents get issued to millions of lawfully present citizens and aliens every year and this will continue forever.  
 

REAL ID is useless and I predict will always be useless.

[Family 4,025]

4 hours ago, SoniaKaur said:

will be entering LAX next month as a permanent resident (CR-1) status from the UK. I am slightly confused as to whether I am required to get a Californian driving license within 10 days of landing (I do hold a valid UK driving license).

I have copied the requirements below from the CA DMV webite:

If you become a California resident, you must get a California DL within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents.

As a permanent resident can i vote in the California election? There doesn't seem to be a clear consensus online regarding state elections.

If I need to obtain a driving license within 10 days how is this even possible??! I need to wait for my green card and SSN which i believe is taking some people 3 months! Also I am aware that there are delays with getting behind the wheel test.

Additionally, I can see the new requirement for the real ID. Could i just apply for a real ID straight away, or do i need to apply for DL and then convert to the real ID? 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Specific to your questions , here is another Californian’s input:

1. You will have I-551 stamp in your passport ( it’s proof you are an LPR until physical card gets to you).

 

2. Go in person to Social Security Office and see if a number already assigned or a new one can be issued on the spot. You should be able to walk away with something or at least know if you will have delays w SS

 

3. If you walk away from SS with a number you can walk directly to DMV and apply for unrestricted DL . The application ( and written test )  itself is perfect/good enough/ sufficient evidence for you to drive, no matter how long road test scheduling test takes. 
 

DO NOT register to VOTE at ALL . It is fatal to any N-400 future.

 

Good Luck and Welcome!