The backlog stems from the number of applicants who can't provide adequate proof of identification, prompting a secondary review.
A new law that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses has created a backlog of unresolved applications, a demand that has surprised state DMV officials and forced months-long wait times for those applying with no easy solution at hand.googleoff: all
Six months into the new law, known as AB60, the Department of Motor Vehicles has received about 600,000 applications and issued about 330,000 driver’s licenses.googleoff: all
State officials initially predicted receiving about 500,000 applications through July.googleoff: all
DMV spokesman Artemio Armenta said the level of interest left the state agency feeling “a little surprised.” But, he added, “we were not caught off guard.”googleoff: all
What has caught the DMV off guard is the number of applications requiring further review.googleoff: all
March DMV figures show that more than 28,000 applications potentially required additional review to clear up duplicate records or other administrative snags to continue with the driver’s license process. Applicants can find themselves under further review if they do not provide appropriate proof of identification.googleoff: all
Proper identification documents include a California license or identification card. Foreign documents that are accepted are: Mexican federal electoral cards; Mexican passports, issued in 2008 or later; and Mexican Consular cards, that are 2006 and 2014 versions.googleoff: all
Applicants who don’t have those documents are issued a “secondary review referral” notice, which requires customers to meet with the DMV Investigations Division to verify that person’s identity.googleoff: all
This, Armenta said, has caused a wait time to exceed four months in some cases.googleoff: all
Under secondary review, Armenta said it takes more time to obtain a license because DMV employees must personally interview the applicant and review documentation that is not immediately electronically verifiable.googleoff: all
“We need to make sure the license is unique to that person,” Armenta said.googleoff: all
For undocumented drivers, licenses can mean peace of mind. But to others, who are already unhappy that California plans to dole out more than 1 million licenses to unauthorized immigrants over the next three years, this means longer lines. DMV officials say that since the first week of the new law, statewide average wait time for all customers with an appointment has fallen, as well as the average wait for walk-in customers.googleoff: all
But all those new license applicants mean greater wait times – weeks, sometimes months – to get a DMV appointment.googleoff: all
That’s frustrating for applicants such as Vicente Arroyo, 40, of Riverside.googleoff: all
Arroyo went to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Riverside, filled out a driver’s license application, and showed his Mexican Consular card as proof of identification – moving one step closer to obtaining a driver’s license under a law that now makes it legal for undocumented immigrants to drive.googleoff: all
That was in March. On Tuesday, Arroyo said he’s still waiting to be given the green light to take his exam.googleoff: all
“I’m just waiting to see what happens,” Arroyo said outside the DMV.googleoff: all
He said he’s been driving in the United States for more than 20 years. He’s had driver’s licenses in North Carolina, Utah and in California. He’s done business with the DMV for years, such as paying traffic fees, and on Tuesday he was there to register a car under his name.