Address Changes POE upcoming...

[Wishing 1]

Hi All,

So I'm in the middle of paperwork for my upcoming move at the end of the month (as long as I get my visa in the mail in time!)

Just wondering what people did for their Driver's License address. I have an Ontario Driver's License and will be moving to California.

Should I change my address with the Ontario vehicle registration and licensing agency...or is it just left as is?

On a related note in California will they just accept my foreign license and give me a full license or will I have to do driver's tests again!?

Thanks

[HeatDeath 430]

I don't think I ever did get around to telling Manitoba Driver Licensing that I was moving. I just drove on my Manitoba license in Utah until it was about to expire, then got a Utah license. I may have technically been violating Utah's laws in doing so. But California is even worse.

California's residency laws for DL purposes are almost Kafka-esque. You can drive on a foreign drivers license as long as you are just visitng, but the instant you start calling it "home" you only have 10 days to get a CA DL. If you are driving on a foreign license, and a police officer asks where you live, make sure you give your Canadian address. If you tell a cop you have lived in CA for more than 10 days, and are still driving on a foreign DL, they will book you with a minor felony.

The Kafkaesque part is, you CAN'T get a California DL until you have at least an EAD. which isn't gonna happen within 10 days of entry on a K-1.

There are a couple of threads here on the California DL situation. One guy had a genuinely unpleasant time getting exerything sorted back out after a traffic stop. Do some more research here and be careful.

I had to do a full driving test again. I thik CA may make Canadian immigrants do one as well, but I don't know for sure. Quite possibly.

[Wishing 1]

Why is EAD required...do they need SSN or other documents?

[HeatDeath 430]

They need proof of legal presence, either permanent/open-ended or with a specific expiration date. The EAD qualifies, as does the GC. An I-485 NOA1 does not. You I-94 would, but the resulting drivers license will expire at the same time as the I-94, 90 days after entry. Then you'd be stuck with nothing, as they usually (unless the DMV person forgets) take your foreign license when they give you the local one.

It's all part of that "no real documentation" legal limbo all K-1ers are stuck in between the expiry of the I-94 and the arrival of the EAD.

[nickbits 43]

When I moved to Michigan I just let my Ontario license expire naturally.

[ashenflowers 5]

Are you importing your car? That will answer what to do with the address change. If you're importing it, you'd likely have to change the vehicle's registration, but I wouldn't bother changing the address on your Ontario license IF you're able to still receive mail at some address in Canada. Otherwise, for me I've just changed my address w/ my license, to my parents address in Canada (because if anything is sent in the mail there, I will receive it). lol

In California you WILL have to do another written AND road test, and they may or may not make you surrender your Ontario license or do something to it. For me, they just punched a hole in it and gave it back (weird), and for others they did nothing with it, and for others they put a sticker on it. It depends on your office. The DMV website is pretty helpful with preparation materials for your tests though. http://www.dmv.ca.gov You can also pick up a driver's handbook to study, if you wish. There are some subtle differences in local driving laws (plus converting everything, like speed limits from KMs to miles is always funky). The website also lets you see the wait times at your local offices for non-appointment visits. You can make an appointment for the written test, or just walk in... but you must call or visit and make an appointment for the road test. The easiest thing to do is just make the appt for the road test after you finish the written one.

I would suggest going to get your license immediately after you receive EAD. That's technically the proof needed that you are 'living' in CA. The license will expire when your EAD expires though, so once you get your GC you might want to go back to the DMV to show that to them and see if they'd extend the expiry date (I'm not at that stage yet, so I dunno what happens with that).

[Wishing 1]

So all in all seems better to just sit on my Canadian license and NOT apply for California license with I-94, but wait until I have EAD in hand?

Thanks:)

[HeatDeath 430]

So all in all seems better to just sit on my Canadian license and NOT apply for California license with I-94, but wait until I have EAD in hand?

Thanks:)

Yes, with a caveat. If you are driving with your Canadian license you had better be considering yourself a visitor to California, not a resident of California, and answering any police questions accordingly. Which is a not-entirely-unreasonable interpretation of the facts, since you came on on a non-immigrant visa and are not yet a permanent resident.