2015 marks the year when qualified undocumented immigrants are now given the privilege to have a state issued driver’s license and to drive freely in the Golden State, without any fear of being apprehended and deported just because of their immigration status.
Such a liberating experience was owned by no less than the most known undocumented immigrant in the United States, Filipino Pulitzer-prize winner journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who just took and passed his written and behind-the-wheel test in California, and finally got his driver license.
In a report by Correspondent Henni Espinosa on The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast Balitang America, Vargas confessed that while taking the written and practical exams, he was so nervous that he even dropped his phone.
“I don’t get nervous getting on Bill O’Reilly. I get nervous taking a driver’s license test,” Vargas intimated.
Vargas was among the 46,200 undocumented immigrants who applied for California driver’s licenses in the first three days they were available, made possible by the passage of Assembly Bill 60. The California Department of Motor Vehicles expects some 1.5 million undocumented immigrants to apply for licenses in the next three years.
Assembly Bill (AB) 60 (Chapter 524: Statutes of 2013) requires the department to issue an original driver license to an applicant who is unable to submit satisfactory proof of legal presence in the United States. Driver’s license applicants under AB 60 must meet all other qualifications for licensure and must provide satisfactory proof of identity and California residency.
AB 60 also requires the DMV to develop regulations and consult with interested parties in an effort to assist the department in identifying documents that will be acceptable for the purposes of providing documentation to establish identity and residency.
The DMV website states that customers applying for a driver license must provide Proof of Identity and California Residency if they do not have satisfactory proof of legal presence. Below are the documents that are needed when applying for a driver license:
California Driver License or California Identification Card:
– California Driver License (issued 10/2000 or later)
– California Identification Card (issued 10/2000 or later)
Foreign Document that is valid, approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and electronically verified by DMV with the country of origin
Foreign Passport that is valid and approved by DMV (see page 4 & 5 for list of DMV approved passports). The customer must also provide his/her social security number that is electronically verifiable with the Social Security Administration.
OR
Foreign Document that is valid and approved by DMV like a Foreign Passport AND
– Foreign Birth Certificate that is a certified copy issued by a national civil registry within six (6) months of the application date (for a CA driver license) that contains an embedded photo of the applicant;
OR
– Foreign Birth Certificate that is accompanied by an Apostille authentication and translated.
SECONDARY REVIEW: AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS
The applicant shall submit as many as possible of the following documents that will be reviewed by DMV to verify the applicant’s identity.
– School documents, including any document issued by a public or private primary, secondary, or post-secondary institution, college, or university that either includes the applicant’s date of birth, or if a foreign school document, is sealed by the school and includes a photograph of the applicant at the age the record was issued.
– Documents issued by or filed with a government within the United States (US) or the US government, including:
1. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-589, (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal).
2. US DHS Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status – For Academic and Language Students or Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (M-1) Student Status – For Vocational Students).
3. US DHS Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status).
4. Court documents where the applicant is named as a party to the court proceeding.
5. Income tax returns.
6. Driver’s license.
– Documents pertaining to civil marital status or civil unity, including marriage licenses or domestic partner registrations. If the language on the marriage license is in a language other than English, the marriage license shall be accompanied by a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English.
– Divorce decrees. If the language on the decree is in a language other than English, the decree shall be accompanied by a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English.
– Foreign passport, consular identification card, foreign national identification card, or a foreign driver’s license. If the foreign driver’s license is in a language other than English, it shall be accompanied by a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English.
– Identification cards that contain a photograph of the applicant issued by a government within the US or the US government.
– Birth documents including a birth certificate or adoption records.
– Any of the above documents that list the applicant’s spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, or legal guardian provided the applicant also provides a birth certificate, adoption records, marriage license, or domestic partner registration to trace the relationship.
AND, FINALLY -PROOF OF CALIFORNIA RESIDENCY
ONE (1) OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS
All residency documents must list the applicant’s first and last name, and California residence address with the exception of the last three (3) items below.
– Rental or lease agreements with the signatures of the owner/landlord and the tenant/resident.
– Deeds or titles to residential real property.
– Mortgage bills.
– Home utility bills including cellular phone bills.
– School documents.
– Medical documents.
– Employment documents.
– Faith based documents.
– Insurance documents, including medical, dental, vision, life, home, rental, and vehicle.
– Internal Revenue Service or California Franchise Tax Board tax returns.
– California Certificates of Vehicle or Vessel Titles or registrations.
– California driver’s licenses or identification cards.
– Change of Address Confirmations by the US Postal Service (Form CNL 107).
– Federal government-issued documents.
– A property tax bill or statement.
– Records of a financial institution.
The following documents do not need to have the customer’s California residence address:
– Court documents that list the applicant as a resident of California.
– A letter, on letterhead from a homeless shelter, a shelter for abused women, a nonprofit entity, a faith based organization, an employer, or a government within the US attesting that the applicant resides in California.
– A parent, legal guardian, or child may use a birth certificate and a spouse or domestic partner may use a marriage license or domestic partner registration certificate to trace his or her relationship to the individual to whom one of the above residency documents has been addressed.
Those with a criminal record or are in deportation proceedings, however, must consult their attorneys how applying for a driver’s license may affect their present and future immigration status in America.
As Balitang America reported, Vargas is excited to make travel plans with his family, but he is fully aware that there are those who are still against undocumented immigrants getting driver’s licenses in California or being allowed to temporarily stay in America through President Barack Obama’s executive order.
However, Vargas said told Balitang America that he embraces these opportunities and encourages other kababayans like him to feel the same.
Vargas pointed out: “There’s a reason why we call (undocumented immigrants) TNT (Tago nang Tago) right? You’re supposed to hide. There’s so much fear and shame in the community about this and I hope that fear and shame is not stopping people from applying for these.”
Vargas shared the message to other undocumented immigrants that “being allowed to legally drive and stay in America mean more [than] just pieces of papers. They mean peace of mind, security and certainly a brighter future in his adopted country.”
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
