Hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants in California impacted by a DMV coding mistake from 2006 | Carscoops

      A longstanding software problem that dates back to 2006 has resulted in mismatched license expiration dates for legal immigrants' work authorization periods.

      Approximately 325,000 California Real IDs are being reissued due to this software error, which is linked to visa expiration dates not aligning with license renewals. The DMV has stated that undocumented residents have never received California Real IDs.

      A persistent software glitch within the California DMV systems has caused an unexpected situation, requiring around 325,000 residents to acquire new Real ID licenses to remain compliant with federal regulations. The state DMV reported that the impacted group includes immigrants who have lawful status. This issue was uncovered during an internal review by the agency.

      It has been revealed that numerous lawful immigrants in the state were incorrectly issued Real IDs that do not expire in accordance with their legal authorization to remain in the country. This discrepancy affects around 1.5 percent of Real ID holders statewide, according to the DMV.

      The DMV attributed the issue to a legacy coding problem from 2006, which sometimes automatically applied the standard renewal timeline instead of aligning with the expiration date of the holder's authorized visa.

      The department confirmed plans to notify all affected individuals about the procedures to obtain either a corrected Real ID or a non-Real ID driver's license, at no cost.

      “We conducted a proactive review of our records, identified a 2006 legacy system issue, and are reaching out to impacted customers with clear instructions on how to maintain a valid California-issued credential,” stated DMV director Steve Gordon. “For nearly 99% of REAL ID holders, no action is necessary. The DMV is dedicated to serving all Californians and ensuring that REAL ID credentials comply with federal standards.”

      The department also reiterated that no Real IDs have ever been issued to undocumented individuals in California. This specific error solely affects those who were legally residing in the United States and received licenses with incorrect expiration dates.

      Additionally, the Real ID disclosure follows a recent licensing reversal by the DMV where over 17,000 commercial truck drivers were informed they could retain their licenses after an initial notification indicated they would lose them. The department affirmed it would contact all affected individuals with information on how to obtain either a corrected Real ID or a non-Real ID driver's license, at no charge.