I-94 and drivers license

[Georgia16 2,858]

4 hours ago, randomstairs said:

You don't need to get a new SSN. It says " not valid for employment without valid EAD " . So when he gets the EAD it will probably be valid for employment. 

It is. You only have to go back after you get the GC.

[Ryan_Chialien 15]

We had a challenge getting the drivers license for my wife.  She applied for her SSN right away, a few days after getting here and we got married.  For the driver's license it was a major challenge.  The SOS in Michigan won't issue a license or state ID farther out then the experation date on her immigration documents which for the K1 was the I-94 date 90 days after arrival.  You had to have the SSN also before applying for license or ID.  When we went in for her written license test they said she could take it but it would expire almost immediately after she got it and probably before she could arrange the driving test.  We got a state ID instead for her instead since we needed that to get a joint bank account.  It expired a few weeks after she got it but it was long enough to make a trip to the bank to change my accounts to joint.  After we got the EAD/AP card in the mail then we went back to get the drivers license.  She was able to get it now but it still expires at the same time her EAD/AP card expires which was 1 year after we got it.  It seems the drivers license is a giant pain that has to keep being renewed every time you get to a new phase with immigration.  Each time you renew EAD/AP or Greencard and then again after lifting conditions.  

 

According to the rules in Michigan she could drive here on her Taiwan license as long as she had an english translation of the Taiwan license with her.  The rules seem to vary state by state as to what's allowed in the time before you can get the actual state license.   

[Georgia16 2,858]

1 minute ago, Ryan ChiaLien said:

We had a challenge getting the drivers license for my wife.  She applied for her SSN right away, a few days after getting here and we got married.  For the driver's license it was a major challenge.  The SOS in Michigan won't issue a license or state ID farther out then the experation date on her immigration documents which for the K1 was the I-94 date 90 days after arrival.  You had to have the SSN also before applying for license or ID.  When we went in for her written license test they said she could take it but it would expire almost immediately after she got it and probably before she could arrange the driving test.  We got a state ID instead for her instead since we needed that to get a joint bank account.  It expired a few weeks after she got it but it was long enough to make a trip to the bank to change my accounts to joint.  After we got the EAD/AP card in the mail then we went back to get the drivers license.  She was able to get it now but it still expires at the same time her EAD/AP card expires which was 1 year after we got it.  It seems the drivers license is a giant pain that has to keep being renewed every time you get to a new phase with immigration.  Each time you renew EAD/AP or Greencard and then again after lifting conditions.  

 

According to the rules in Michigan she could drive here on her Taiwan license as long as she had an english translation of the Taiwan license with her.  The rules seem to vary state by state as to what's allowed in the time before you can get the actual state license.   

this is normal. that's why people have to go back when they get GC to get a new one there is good longer Also have to go back to SSN office after getting the GC.

[Tierpolizistin 0]

Update: Just got off the phone with the Arizona DMV. They reiterated exactly what they told me back in December right after we got married. They said that they don't care about his I-94 if it is expired or not. They only need his German license, passport and valid visa on his passport. Arizona will do a transfer of his German license, so no testing required. His license will only be valid until his visa expires, but that gives me time to add him onto my credit union account and add him onto my auto insurance policy and not pay the outrageous "foreign driver" fee. Then they said once we have proof of receipt from USCIS that we filed for EAD and AOS, they just need receipt that we filed and we can renew his license, but in between then he can of course drive on the German license. 

 

They did say DO NOT go into the Third Party Motor Vehicle place for that (which I found out on Saturday!)...they are idiots with immigration stuff there, so we are going straight to DMV. 

[Tierpolizistin 0]

correction: Arizona DMV said we need his passport, German license, valid visa AND his SSN (which we do have). All he needs is that to get an AZ DL...they don't care about the I-94 whatsoever, they said it is irrelevant for their purposes. 

[Georgia16 2,858]

1 minute ago, Tierpolizistin said:

correction: Arizona DMV said we need his passport, German license, valid visa AND his SSN (which we do have). All he needs is that to get an AZ DL...they don't care about the I-94 whatsoever, they said it is irrelevant for their purposes. 

So if that's all they say he needs why didn't they gave it to him last time since he had all that according to you.

[Tierpolizistin 0]

That was my fault..we recently bought a car for him to drive, and the lady at the title place when we went to put the title and registration in both our names, she said there are Third Party Motor Vehicle places that do licensing only on Saturdays. Without my husband being allowed to work yet, I work two FT jobs to support us both, so I would need to take a day off to go to the DMV, so figured we could try the Third Party DMV for that. My mistake...they are idiots there, clueless and rude. They were passing out licenses like candy to people who spoke no English and showed NO documents or anything...yet they told Stefan his I-94 was expired and he would be deported and I was like "umm, look around...who's the one going to be deported in here? Not the German guy with a valid Visa who speaks 3 languages!" So they don't know what they are doing...so lesson learned...to go only to DMV directly for that stuff! So I am taking March 1st off from work to go to the DMV and that is the day we have his AOS medical thing to have the Dr sign off on his stuff from October so we can finally file for AOS and EAD. 

[Georgia16 2,858]

1 minute ago, Tierpolizistin said:

That was my fault..we recently bought a car for him to drive, and the lady at the title place when we went to put the title and registration in both our names, she said there are Third Party Motor Vehicle places that do licensing only on Saturdays. Without my husband being allowed to work yet, I work two FT jobs to support us both, so I would need to take a day off to go to the DMV, so figured we could try the Third Party DMV for that. My mistake...they are idiots there, clueless and rude. They were passing out licenses like candy to people who spoke no English and showed NO documents or anything...yet they told Stefan his I-94 was expired and he would be deported and I was like "umm, look around...who's the one going to be deported in here? Not the German guy with a valid Visa who speaks 3 languages!" So they don't know what they are doing...so lesson learned...to go only to DMV directly for that stuff! So I am taking March 1st off from work to go to the DMV and that is the day we have his AOS medical thing to have the Dr sign off on his stuff from October so we can finally file for AOS and EAD. 

Good luck. Keep us updated.