Moving to WA for Driver License?

[nickcp]

Hello there,

I currently live in Vancouver, BC and I want to move to Washington state so I can get a driver license. The process of getting a driver license is BC takes at least 2 years (assuming you go to driving school) whereas in WA it takes a little more then a month or so (Go figure?).

Any help would be appreciated on my options. A friend of my who owns a restaurant in Seattle told me he has a job waiting tables for me if that helped me get a Working Visa down there, but from what I understand the TN Visa doesn't cover waiting tables lol.

The WA Driver license website says that I need a "Immigration ID with signature — A valid immigration document from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that contains your signature and photo (I-327, I-551, I-766). Your signature and photo must be readily identifiable." as well as a Social Security # and a Washington State residence.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[lawsrlaws]

Your out of luck. Unless you are a professional, a TN is not for you.

This is a very odd thing to want. How old are you?

[nickcp]

I am 21 years old. The transit in Vancouver is very good and I've never had the need to get my license. The work I'm planning on going into requires that I have a driver license, so I need to get one as soon as possible.

Are there any other visas I can look into?

[Reba]

'fraid not, no. You have to have legal residency of some sort in order to get a state driver's license, and as you've already figured out, you can't get a TN to wait tables.

What job are you planning on getting that requires a driver's license anyway? I'm guessing that if the job is in BC, it would require a BC license, not a WA one.

[Steven]

Washington won't grant a DL to a visitor. There are two or three States that will but technically you're still supposed to be resident there, it's just they treat long-term visitors as though they're resident in the State.

However would this help you in BC? Because if you live in BC you have to have a BC licence.

[fiestagirl]

How does it take 2 years to get a license? Do you have some sort of restriction that prevents you from getting a license? If you don't, then you can get one quicker than 2 years!!

[Steven]

I assume he's talking about getting a full unrestricted Class 5 DL under the graduated system which does take awhile. I thought it took longer than two years actually. But it's academic because you have to have been driving for at least two years with your out-of-Province licence to be exempt from the GDL programme anyway.