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
Two documents proving your North Carolina address for NCDMV

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, NCDMV and the Social Security Administration will ask to see. It is generated electronically and retrieved from the CBP website — check the details immediately.
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.
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 North Carolina tax filing and is accepted by many banks. It grants no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Book an NCDMV appointment early — availability is the constraint
North Carolina gives 60 days, but NCDMV driver licence offices have had persistent appointment shortages, with slots booking out weeks or months in the Triangle. Book the week you arrive and check for cancellations; some offices hold a small number of walk-in slots but relying on them is a poor plan.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Expect a licence limited to your authorised stay
NCDMV issues temporary visa holders a licence or ID valid only for the period of legal presence, so renewals are more frequent and always require current documentation. Bring your I-94 and status documents to every appointment, including renewals.
In personWho: You
6
Track your own status expiry
Nobody will remind you. USCIS extensions and change-of-status petitions run for months, so start well before the I-94 date. Falling out of status is far harder to fix than staying in it.
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 documents proving your North Carolina address

Things most newcomers don’t know

NCDMV appointment availability, not the 60-day rule, is what actually binds.

North Carolina's driver licence offices have run with chronic appointment shortages, and Triangle offices in particular can book out for weeks or months. The 60-day deadline is generous on paper and tight in practice, because you cannot manufacture a slot. Book in week one, set alerts for cancellations, and be willing to drive to a smaller office in Smithfield, Louisburg or Sanford.

Source: NCDMV — driver licence offices

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 how long they may live here, 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 your 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 roughly day ten turns two trips into one, and nothing else meaningfully depends on having the number in your first week.

Source: Social Security Administration — noncitizens and Social Security numbers

The Triangle's employers have unusually deep immigration experience, and that is worth using.

RTP's biomanufacturing plants, the contract research organisations and the three universities together sponsor a very high volume of H-1B, O-1, J-1 and TN cases, so in-house immigration teams and local counsel here handle these routines constantly. Ask your employer's HR whether they have an immigration partner before hiring your own lawyer — in this region the answer is usually yes and the service is usually good.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the visa expiry as your permitted stay rather than the I-94 'admit until' date.
Waiting to book an NCDMV appointment and discovering the queue is months long.
Visiting a Social Security office before DHS records have synced.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card — it is free.
Turning up to a licence renewal without current immigration documents.

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