Driver's License extension - F1 to H-1B

[sunnyrock75]

My driver's license expires on 8/20/06 (date of expiry on my I-20). And I have a pending H-1B petition applied by my employer with a start date of 10/1/06. I currently have a receipt notice for my H-1B petition and I would like to know if I can get my driver's license renewed with this receipt assuming my H-1B is not approved by 8/20/06. I am a resident of OHIO. Would appreciate if somebody can comment on this. Thanks!

[manojtjain]

Hi! There,
I am in a similar situation as you. My driver's license also will expire before I get H1 approval from USCIS. I contacted regional district office of USCIS for my state (PA), but they were of little help. Have you found some way out to extend the driver's license? Please let me know as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Manoj.

[subramanya]

My driver's license expires on 8/20/06 (date of expiry on my I-20). And I have a pending H-1B petition applied by my employer with a start date of 10/1/06. I currently have a receipt notice for my H-1B petition and I would like to know if I can get my driver's license renewed with this receipt assuming my H-1B is not approved by 8/20/06. I am a resident of OHIO. Would appreciate if somebody can comment on this.

Hi,

For your Driver's license take you receipt notice to the DMV office of your state and they should be able to give you a license (temporary) valid for a period of upto 3 months from the date of your receipt notice or your driver's license expiry date (the discretion of taking either is according to each state DMV office). As an additional ID they may ask to see your passport

This is a general practice (individual states may have specific rules and you can check their websites for more information dmv.org and then check for thes state). I had my license secured in that manner in the state that I am currently working and later when I received the approval notice it was extended till the valid date of the approval notice

Hope this helps. If you have better info. please post that can be of help to someone

Subramanya

[StillHoping]

Sunnyrock75,

Did you manage to renew your license? I am in OHIO also and have to renew my license.

Thanks.

[hopefulH1B]

Although this may not be of any help to you at all it may be of interest to you or anyone else. My husband and I are on J1/J2 visas - after my husbands training in Florida where we had a driving licence which expired on the day our J1/J2 expired - he took a job for work experience in Massachusettes - we went to the RMV to change our licences over and were given a licence valid for 10 years which is the normal validity of a Mass. licence!!

[manojtjain]

I contacted local Congressman's office, and they contacted PennDOT regarding extension of driver's license. I was told to get all my documents along with a letter from my employer stating the period till when they were intending to hire me. I got a letter from my employer stating that they are hiring me at least till 10/01/2009. I was expecting to get a license till then. However, this time around the official at PennDOT took date from my F1 Visa stamped on my passport and extended till that date, which is in May 2008. There seems to be no fixed procedure. Anyways, at least I have a valid license now, and once I get my H1 approval I can again renew it till the length of H1.

Manoj

[chanh2k4]

My driving license just expired on Aug 31, 06. I just received the H1B approval notice 2 weeks ago. So I brought all the documents and they renewed my driving license and it will expire in Sep 30, 2009 (same as my approval notice end date). I actually didn't show him my H1B approval notice. And later he found out I have one, he said I should have shown him. Otherwise, I will have to pay 20 bucks again when I get the H1B in Oct 1, 06.