Before you start

A valid visa or other admission category
An electronic I-94 record from the CBP website
Work authorisation from DHS for a Social Security number
Six points of identification for the NY DMV

Step-by-step

1
Download your I-94 in the first few days
It records your class of admission and your 'admit until' date, and it is what employers, the DMV and the Social Security Administration will ask for. It is generated electronically and retrieved from the CBP website — check the details immediately, since corrections are far easier early.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait about ten days, then file Form SS-5 in person
The Social Security Administration verifies your status against DHS records that lag entry by one to two weeks, so an immediate visit usually ends in being sent away. Bring passport, visa and I-94. There is no fee for the card.
In personWho: YouFrom ~day 10Free
3
File IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN if you are not work-authorised
Dependants and others without work permission cannot get an SSN. An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number covers federal and New York State tax filing and is accepted by many banks and landlords. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Get a New York licence or ID within 30 days of becoming a resident
New York is explicit: become a resident and you must obtain a New York State driver licence within 30 days. The DMV works on a six-points identification system, so assemble the document set against its published points table before you go — a passport plus an immigration document plus proof of address is the usual combination.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
5
Decide between a REAL ID, an Enhanced licence and a standard one
New York offers three. A standard licence cannot board a domestic flight since 7 May 2025. A REAL ID can. An Enhanced Driver Licence also works as a document for land and sea entry from Canada — which in Buffalo is a genuinely useful third option, but it is available only to US citizens, so most newcomers here want the REAL ID and their passport.
In personWho: You
6
Understand what crossing to Canada means for your own status
Buffalo households cross the Peace Bridge casually. On a temporary US visa, every return is a new admission: the officer can issue a new I-94 with a new date, and an expired visa foil means you may not be able to come back at all even with valid status. Certain short trips to Canada allow automatic revalidation, but the rules are narrow. Check your specific category before a spontaneous day trip, not after.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa
I-94 admission record from the CBP website
Form SS-5 for a Social Security number, or IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN
Documents totalling six points on the NY DMV's identification scale
Proof of a New York address

Things most newcomers don’t know

Crossing into Canada is a new US admission on the way back, not a round trip.

The Peace Bridge is ten minutes from downtown Buffalo and locals cross for dinner. For a non-citizen on a temporary status that casualness is a trap: re-entry is a fresh admission decision, a new I-94 may be issued with a different date, and an expired visa foil can leave you unable to return even though your status in the US is perfectly valid. There are narrow automatic revalidation provisions for short trips to Canada; they do not cover everyone. Read your own category before you go.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection

New York's Enhanced Driver Licence is a border document, and most newcomers cannot get one.

An EDL doubles as a WHTI-compliant document for entering the US from Canada by land or sea, which in a border city is genuinely convenient. It is restricted to US citizens. Non-citizens should get the REAL ID version instead and carry the passport for the bridge — and should not be talked into thinking the EDL is simply the better licence.

Source: New York DMV

The visa sticker's expiry date is not your permission to stay.

A visa authorises travel to a port of entry; the officer there decides how long you may remain and records it on the I-94. Holders of five- and ten-year visas routinely assume that is the length of their residence, never check the record, and fall out of status without noticing. The I-94 'admit until' date is the only one that governs.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection — I-94 record

Applying for a Social Security number too early is the classic wasted trip.

SSA verifies status against DHS records that take one to two weeks to sync after entry. Turning up on day two normally means being told to come back. Waiting until about day ten turns two visits into one, and nothing else meaningfully depends on the number before then.

Source: Social Security Administration — noncitizens and Social Security numbers

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the visa expiry as your permitted stay rather than the I-94 'admit until' date.
Taking a casual day trip to Canada on a temporary status without checking re-entry rules.
Turning up at the DMV without six points of identification.
Applying for an Enhanced Driver Licence as a non-citizen — it is for US citizens only.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card — it is free.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.