Some states will issue Drivers License only till your I-20 expiry date. Such students drivers license will expire on I-20 expiry date. In order to get drivers license renewed during OPT cap-gap , US Immigration and Customs have released a fact sheet on how to get drivers license renewed. Following is excerpt from the original document
Renew Drivers License During OPT cap gap
A student on the cap-gap extension should present an updated Form I-20 that shows the extension of stay. If eligible for the cap-gap extension, a student’s SEVIS record should be updated with the extension (either through an interface with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
database or by a DSO) when a cap-subject H-1B petition is filed on the nonimmigrant student’s behalf. Once SEVIS is updated, the DSO can print the updated Form I-20 and provide it to the nonimmigrant. If the nonimmigrant has received an extension of F-1 status and OPT, the updated
Form I-20 should contain the following language on page 3:
“F-1 status and employment authorization for this student have been automatically extended to [extension end date]. The student is authorized to remain in the United States and continue employment with an expired employment authorization document. This is pursuant to 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(iv) and 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6)(iv), as updated April 8, 2008, in a rule published in the Federal Register (73 FR 18944). Additional information about the automatic extension can be found on the Student and Exchange Visitor Program Web site at www.ice.gov/sevis.”
The DMV will use the information on page 3 to validate the student’s duration of status through the end of the cap-gap extension. When the student receives the approval notice for the H1-B petition, he or she should return to the DMV to present the Form I-797, Notice of Approval, and request that the DMV extend the
driver’s license expiration date for a period of one year. The student must return to the DMV every year to extend his or her license for the period of stay in the United States, unless otherwise stated by the DMV office. For additional information on the cap-gap extension, please see SEVP’s guidance titled, SEVP
Policy Guidance for DSOs on the OPT Extension.
Source – Applying for Drivers License Fact Sheet
Related posts:
