Leanne Grant

http://www.state.oh.us/odps/division...nrenewlic.html

Further research shows that that's the license that I'm going to be eligible
for... my question is - how do I prove how long I'm entitled to be in the
US? Is that something my k1 visa and my I-94 indicate or do I have to wait
til I file AOS?

And it seems like I need to get my SSN first as that's one of the things I
need to show as ID... so I hope I won't have too hard a time coming up with
that, since I've heard that some people are.

Leanne

Michael D. Young

Leanne Grant wrote:

    > http://www.state.oh.us/odps/division...nrenewlic.html
    > Further research shows that that's the license that I'm going to be eligible
    > for... my question is - how do I prove how long I'm entitled to be in the
    > US? Is that something my k1 visa and my I-94 indicate or do I have to wait
    > til I file AOS?
    > And it seems like I need to get my SSN first as that's one of the things I
    > need to show as ID... so I hope I won't have too hard a time coming up with
    > that, since I've heard that some people are.

Hi All,


OK go to friendly neighborhood SSA office you can find that here:

http://s00dace.ssa.gov/pro/fol/fol-home.html

You need Form SS-5, you can get that here:

http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html

You need to take your birth certificate, passport and I-94 showing K-1 entry.
You need to apply ASAP, since SSA will not issue the SSN if you are within 14
days of being out of status, so that gives you 76 days after entry. SSA will
need to verify your status with BCIS. If they can do it through the SAVE system
while you are there you should have your SSN and card within 14 days. If they
need to send a Form G-845 to BCIS for manual verification it can take weeks and
sometimes a month or more.


Take care,

Mike

Leanne Grant

"Michael D. Young" wrote in message

    > OK go to friendly neighborhood SSA office you can find that here:
    > http://s00dace.ssa.gov/pro/fol/fol-home.html
    > You need Form SS-5, you can get that here:
    > http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html
    > You need to take your birth certificate, passport and I-94 showing K-1
entry.
    > You need to apply ASAP, since SSA will not issue the SSN if you are within
    >14
    > days of being out of status, so that gives you 76 days after entry.


Thanks for the links! I understand how to go about getting my SSN - it's
just a matter of whether the office understands that YES I am indeed
entitled (I understand there's a memo I can print out to show them from
their own website) and if BCIS is kind enough to get me into the system soon
enough. I'll probably wait about 2 weeks after I get there to go for it,
hopefully the BCIS will get me in the system in that amount of time so that
that the SSN people will be able to verify my information.

But, according to the website regarding driver's licenses in Ohio... the
only way to get one is to be a US citizen or to have paperwork to prove that
I'm entitled to be in the US and for how long I'm entitled. Does my I-94 and
my k1 visa prove that? If so, then I should be able to get a non renewable
non transferable driver's license good for 4 years which I can then keep
renewing every 4 years until I am a citizen. If the I-94 and the k1 *don't*
prove that, then do I have to wait for a temporary greencard? If so, that's
a long wait. :/

Does anyone know? There must be someone else from Ohio here!

Leanne

L D Jones

Leanne Grant wrote:
    >
[...]
    > I'm entitled to be in the US and for how long I'm entitled. Does my I-94 and
    > my k1 visa prove that? If so, then I should be able to get a non renewable
    > non transferable driver's license good for 4 years which I can then keep
    > renewing every 4 years until I am a citizen. If the I-94 and the k1 *don't*

Just as an aside, your license will still have to be renewed after you
become a citizen. In some states this is every 4 years and in others the
time to renewal depends on what age you are when you are issued the
license. For example, my NC license expires in 4 years while my wife's
is good for 10. I've never heard of a 'transferable' driver's license

For what it's worth I believe your I-94 and K-1 should be sufficient
proof along with whatever else is required for you to obtain a license

Leanne Grant

"L D Jones" wrote in message
    > > I'm entitled to be in the US and for how long I'm entitled. Does my I-94
and
    > > my k1 visa prove that? If so, then I should be able to get a non
renewable
    > > non transferable driver's license good for 4 years which I can then keep
    > > renewing every 4 years until I am a citizen. If the I-94 and the k1
*don't*
    > Just as an aside, your license will still have to be renewed after you
    > become a citizen.

I realize that, but normally when you renew your driver's license, I assume
you would show up, hand them your old one, maybe do a new eye-test and
bingo, new license. I'll have to prove that I'm legally allowed to be in the
US EVERY TIME I renew it for as long as I'm not a citizen. It wouldn't just
be a matter of giving them my old one and getting a new one, but once again
proving that I'm even legally in the US.

    >I've never heard of a 'transferable' driver's license

You probably have a transferable license. If you live in one state and
decide to move to another state, you could take that license and give it to
the DMV in your new home state and they'd trade you for their license (you
might have to do another eye test/written test/whatever their requirements
are). For this one, I can't go to a new state and trade... I'd have to
figure out what that state's requirements are for a license and do it all
over again. That's all it means. Not that I can give it to another person.
Of course not. :P

    > For what it's worth I believe your I-94 and K-1 should be sufficient
    > proof along with whatever else is required for you to obtain a license

I hope so!

Leanne

L D Jones

Leanne Grant wrote:
    >
    > "L D Jones" wrote in message
    > > > I'm entitled to be in the US and for how long I'm entitled. Does my I-94
    > and
    > > > my k1 visa prove that? If so, then I should be able to get a non
    > renewable
    > > > non transferable driver's license good for 4 years which I can then keep
    > > > renewing every 4 years until I am a citizen. If the I-94 and the k1
    > *don't*
    > > Just as an aside, your license will still have to be renewed after you
    > > become a citizen.
    >
    > I realize that, but normally when you renew your driver's license, I assume
    > you would show up, hand them your old one, maybe do a new eye-test and
    > bingo, new license. I'll have to prove that I'm legally allowed to be in the
    > US EVERY TIME I renew it for as long as I'm not a citizen. It wouldn't just
    > be a matter of giving them my old one and getting a new one, but once again
    > proving that I'm even legally in the US.

Possibly. But I'm a citizen and no one at the DMV ever asked me to prove
it. Let's say you get a license soon and then go through the adjustment
of status process. Along the way you get your SS card (if you don't have
one already). With the card and proof of residence in the state I would
say that the subject of citizenship will never come up.

For example, my wife showed up at the DMV with an SS card and a lease
agreement for our apartment. After the driver's test she was given a
license. She didn't show her passport and was not asked if she is a
citizen. My point is that once you can show you are resident in the
state and have other documentation they expect you will be able to
simply get another new license when you need to.

Leanne Grant

"L D Jones" wrote in
    > > I realize that, but normally when you renew your driver's license, I
assume
    > > you would show up, hand them your old one, maybe do a new eye-test nd
    > > bingo, new license. I'll have to prove that I'm legally allowed to be in
the
    > > US EVERY TIME I renew it for as long as I'm not a citizen. It wouldn't
just
    > > be a matter of giving them my old one and getting a new one, but once
    > >again
    > > proving that I'm even legally in the US.
    > Possibly. But I'm a citizen and no one at the DMV ever asked me to prove
    > it.

The webpage that I posted clearly indicates that this law was passed just
last year. I'm going to assume you've had your license longer than a year,
so it would never have come up. You would go in to renew your license by
surrending your expired one... of course citizenship wouldn't come up. If
you were already a citizen, why would they question if you're still a
citizen?

But for me, I'm going to plop down my Canadian birth certificate, and don't
you think that'll ring some bells, even if I have a SSN? Especially since my
SSN is probably going to say "only with INS (or BCIS, however they word it
now) work authorization."?

    > Let's say you get a license soon and then go through the adjustment
    > of status process. Along the way you get your SS card (if you don't have
    > one already). With the card and proof of residence in the state I would
    > say that the subject of citizenship will never come up.

I'll be getting my SSN long before I marry, if at all possible, and my
driver's license also. And my proof of residency comes in the form of my AOS
paperwork -- which means that I am NOT a citizen. And Ohio is ONLY issuing
licenses to citizens, or folks who can prove that they legally have the
right to be in the country.

Did you read the webpage that I posted? Because it doesn't seem like it, but
maybe we're just understanding things differently.

    > For example, my wife showed up at the DMV with an SS card and a lease
    > agreement for our apartment. After the driver's test she was given a
    > license.

I can trade in my Canadian license and not need to do a road test there...
just a written test and a the eye test.

    >She didn't show her passport and was not asked if she is a
    > citizen. My point is that once you can show you are resident in the
    > state and have other documentation they expect you will be able to
    > simply get another new license when you need to.

From what I've read, you're wrong. Citizenship is an issue. In Ohio,
anyways. Not so in other states, but in Ohio.

I wish it wasn't the case - it would make things a lot easier, but from
reading a recent account of someone else who tried to get a license late
last year/earlier this year... it's just not so. In Ohio. It may be
different wherever you are.

However if you have something I should be reading that says otherwise,
please point me to it.

Leanne

L D Jones

Leanne Grant wrote:
    >
    > "L D Jones" wrote in
    > > > I realize that, but normally when you renew your driver's license, I
    > assume
    > > > you would show up, hand them your old one, maybe do a new eye-test nd
    > > > bingo, new license. I'll have to prove that I'm legally allowed to be in
    > the
    > > > US EVERY TIME I renew it for as long as I'm not a citizen. It wouldn't
    > just
    > > > be a matter of giving them my old one and getting a new one, but once
    > > >again
    > > > proving that I'm even legally in the US.
    > > Possibly. But I'm a citizen and no one at the DMV ever asked me to prove
    > > it.
    >
    > The webpage that I posted clearly indicates that this law was passed just
    > last year. I'm going to assume you've had your license longer than a year,
    > so it would never have come up. You would go in to renew your license by

That's the first time I've heard about a DMV that distinguishes between
US citizens and others legally resident in the US. There is no mention
of citizenship on the FAQ or in the primary or secondary documents list
(ie, certificate of naturalization) on their website. I still think if
you have a SS card and the "INS documents" they refer to you ought not
to have any problems, but I don't really know