Before you start

A valid visa or other admission category
An electronic I-94 record retrieved from the CBP website
Work authorisation from DHS for a Social Security number
An Oregon address, for the DMV and most account applications

Step-by-step

1
Pull your I-94 in the first few days
It is generated electronically and downloaded from the CBP website. It shows your class of admission and the 'admit until' date that actually controls your stay. Check the spelling and the date immediately, because corrections are far easier in week one than in month six.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait roughly ten days, then file Form SS-5 in person
The Social Security Administration verifies your status against DHS records that lag your entry by one to two weeks. Going on day two normally means being sent home. Bring passport, visa and I-94. The card is free and anyone charging for it is running a scam.
In personWho: YouFrom ~day 10Free
3
File IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN if you cannot get an SSN
Dependants and others without work authorisation use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number for tax filing. Many banks accept it and Oregon's three overlapping local income taxes all need a taxpayer number of some kind. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Book the DMV inside your first fortnight
Oregon gives 30 days from establishing residency. Portland-area offices take appointments and the popular ones fill up, so treat the deadline as a booking deadline. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of Oregon residence.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1–2
5
Decide between a standard Oregon licence and a REAL ID
Since 7 May 2025 a non-compliant state licence cannot be used to board a domestic flight. Oregon issues both types; the REAL ID version costs more and needs the full document set. Your passport works either way, so this is a convenience decision rather than a legal one.
In personWho: You
6
Diarise your own status expiry
Nobody will remind you. USCIS extension and change-of-status petitions run for months, so start well ahead of the I-94 date. Recovering from a lapse is far harder than avoiding one.
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
Employment authorisation document or approval notice, where applicable
Two proofs of Oregon residence for the DMV

Things most newcomers don’t know

Oregon issues a standard licence without proof of lawful status.

Under Oregon's Driver Cards and Equal Access law, applicants prove identity, date of birth and Oregon residence but do not have to document immigration status for a standard licence. Texas and Arizona both require lawful presence. If your status is pending, has lapsed, or is complicated, that difference decides whether you can hold any government ID at all — and it is a genuine reason people choose the Pacific Northwest.

Source: Oregon DMV — driver licence requirements

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-year visas routinely assume five years of residence, never check the record, and fall out of status without noticing. The I-94 date is the only one that governs, and it is free to look up online.

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

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

SSA cannot issue a number until DHS entry records have synced, which takes one to two weeks. Arriving at a Portland field office in your first days almost always ends with being asked to come back. Waiting until about day ten converts two trips into one, and there is nothing that depends on having the number before then.

Source: Social Security Administration — noncitizens and Social Security numbers

Portland's local income taxes need a taxpayer number even if you owe nothing.

Metro's supportive housing tax, Multnomah County's Preschool for All tax and the flat Arts Tax are administered by the City of Portland Revenue Division, separately from Oregon and from the IRS. They are filed under an SSN or ITIN. People who assume 'my employer withholds everything' discover otherwise when a notice arrives, because withholding for the two county-level taxes is opt-in for many employers.

Source: City of Portland Revenue Division

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the visa expiry as your permitted stay rather than the I-94 'admit until' date.
Visiting a Social Security office before DHS records have synced.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card — it is free.
Leaving the DMV appointment past the 30-day mark and finding no slots.
Assuming an employer withholds Portland's local income taxes automatically — for many, it does not.

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