I am from Canada, I am married to a US citizen but have not/ can not apply for legal status at this time. Since I have been here for over 7 years I do not have anything like a legal presence document which I need for a SSN#.
I got my DL here in 2000, before Sept. 11th and all the craziness about immigrants etc. This year I didn't get a renewal notice in the mail from CA DMV, I noticed my DL expired that day. I went into the dmv the following morning and was told I needed to re-apply and write a test which I passed, then while completing the paperwork I was asked for my birth certificate then a SSN# which I previously needed but was waived if I had a letter from Social Security Administration saying I wasn't entitled to a SSN#.
I wnet to Social Security and waited inline for 3 hours to get another letter saying I wasn't entitled to a SSN and since I didn't have a legal presence document (which the manager at the DMV was unable to tell me what exactly a "legal presence document" was) they were unable to accept a SSN# application from me. After getting all this the DMV manager informed me the new laws required a SSN# for any drivers license and without one there was nothing more they could do. I asked why this wasn't explained to me when I was asked to pay the $25 fee, then she pulled out an application showing me the phrase no refunds for application fees.
#1: I was licensed until the previous day so why did I need to re-apply?
#2: Is there anyway to get my DL re-newal without a SSN#?
#3: Could not having a valid license and having an accident invalidate my insurance (making me totally finacially responsible for all damages caused in an accident)?
I got my DL here in 2000, before Sept. 11th and all the craziness about immigrants etc. This year I didn't get a renewal notice in the mail from CA DMV, I noticed my DL expired that day. I went into the dmv the following morning and was told I needed to re-apply and write a test which I passed, then while completing the paperwork I was asked for my birth certificate then a SSN# which I previously needed but was waived if I had a letter from Social Security Administration saying I wasn't entitled to a SSN#.
I wnet to Social Security and waited inline for 3 hours to get another letter saying I wasn't entitled to a SSN and since I didn't have a legal presence document (which the manager at the DMV was unable to tell me what exactly a "legal presence document" was) they were unable to accept a SSN# application from me. After getting all this the DMV manager informed me the new laws required a SSN# for any drivers license and without one there was nothing more they could do. I asked why this wasn't explained to me when I was asked to pay the $25 fee, then she pulled out an application showing me the phrase no refunds for application fees.
#1: I was licensed until the previous day so why did I need to re-apply?
#2: Is there anyway to get my DL re-newal without a SSN#?
#3: Could not having a valid license and having an accident invalidate my insurance (making me totally finacially responsible for all damages caused in an accident)?
