California Issues 605,000 Driver’s Licenses To Immigrants

AB60 allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses using identification from their home countries.

California issued more than a half-million driver’s licenses under a new law granting the identifying documents to immigrants who may be in the country illegally.

The Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday that 605,000 licenses were issued since AB60 took effect last January. That’s out of 830,000 applications.

AB60 allows people who can’t prove they’re in the country legally to obtain driver’s licenses using identification from their home countries.

They also must prove California residency and pass written and driving tests.

Supporters pushed for the law as a safety measure, arguing that many immigrants already get behind the wheel but lack the training and testing required of other drivers and may not carry insurance.

“DMV committed to successfully implementing this new law to increase safety on California’s roads by putting licensed drivers behind the steering wheel,” said DMV Director Jean Shiomoto. “One year after AB 60 implementation there are 605,000 more drivers on the road who have passed all testing requirements and demonstrated their knowledge of California’s rules of the road.”

Under AB 60, the DMV can issue an original driver license to an applicant who lacks proof of legal presence in the United States and meets all other requirements to obtain a driver license, including proof of identity and California residency and meeting all other licensing requirements including written and drive tests.

During the program’s first year, the DMV has administered 2,091,000 knowledge and drive test examinations. As of Dec.31, 2015, approximately 830,000 AB 60 applicants have applied for a driver license.

On average, DMV issued approximately 50,000 new driver licenses per month under AB 60 during the first year of implementing the new law.

January – 59,000

February – 72,000

March –  76,000

April – 74,000

May – 60,000

June – 56,000

July – 45,000

August – 37,000

September – 34,000

October – 35,000

November – 26,000

December – 31,000
Total 605,000 (all numbers are rounded)

AB 60 was signed into law in October 2013 and gave the DMV one year to get ready to implement one of the biggest programs in the department’s history.

Steps DMV took to successfully implement the new program included:

Opening four Driver License Processing Centers (DLPCs) in Stanton, Lompoc, Granada Hills, and San Jose.

Hiring and training approximately 1,000 new employees. Developing regulations detailing documents required to prove identity and residency requirements. Extending office hours through June 25, 2015, and added Saturday service through Oct. 25, 2015, to meet new customer demand. The California DMV has engaged in more than 200 public outreach events across the state.

Applicants are reminded about the importance of studying for the driver license knowledge exam, as well as practicing for their drive test. The department also reminds new drivers about obeying the rules of the road. A webpage was created to address specific program information on AB 60: http://ab60.dmv.ca.gov