U-M students, faculty and scholars who are considered legal temporary U.S. residents now will be able to obtain driver’s licenses, following approval of a bill Feb. 14 by the state legislature and signed a day later by the governor.
“I am extremely pleased that the legislature listened to all of the comments and concerns by academic institutions, businesses, civic organizations and medical centers,” says John Greisberger, director of the International Center. “They heard what we were saying about the impact on those institutions and the entire state, and acted in a bipartisan way to get this resolved.”
In January the state stopped issuing licenses to immigrants and others who are not permanent residents of the United States, regardless of whether they are in the country legally or not. The new rules imposed by Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land followed an interpretation of the law by Attorney General Mike Cox, who said that only U.S. citizens and permanent residents could obtain driver’s licenses. Until then, Michigan was one of only eight states that did not require proof of residency to get a license.
Universities, including U-M, and businesses responded quickly, asking lawmakers to consider exceptions for those who are in the country for business or study purposes. The day before the bill was passed, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of six legal immigrants, claiming the January decision is creating hardship for thousands of people and “wreaking havoc on the Michigan economy.”
Under Public Act 7 of 2008 (HB 4505), the Secretary of State can resume issuing licenses to immigrants and temporary residents who legally are in the state to conduct business or pursue an education. There are 400,000 people in Michigan on visas and more than 5,400 of them are international students at U-M.
