Osinachi Okafor, holding her passport booklet at the Atlanta Airport. August 2023.
After the euphoria of moving to a new country outside one’s continent as a first-timer fades, reality sets in; your visa will be expiring soon. A constant worry for most international students is : ‘What happens if my visa expires?” I advise that every international student consult the services of the OISS for such visa-related inquiries; however, I offer a personal perspective that has helped me navigate that worrisome situation.
During my apartment search at the end of the Spring semester of my second year, having luckily spent two academic years at the RGA, it dawned on me how important the international ID card is for an apartment tour. In fact, it is the most required document in an apartment search apart from the income source and guarantor factor. Unfortunately, for my country, I do not know about others, the passport booklet houses both the US visa page and the international identity card, so the chances of the house agents seeing your visa expiry date are very high, as was the case with me. I faced a lot of apartment rejections because of that, but I must thank Adria Baker, the former director of OISS, for standing up for me when I needed it the most. While casually complaining to Moses, a Religion student at Rice, about my housing issues, he advised me to get a Texas ID, which is as valid as an international ID card and even more portable than the passport booklet, even though it is also as time sensitive. That advice and the actions that followed it saved me a lot of trouble, and I am sharing it with you today.
Here are the tips I took to obtain my Texas ID card:
- First, visit their website and carefully go through all the necessary requirements.
You will need to provide proof of the following:
- U.S. Citizenship or, if you are not a U.S. Citizen, evidence of lawful presence in our case, I-20 document.
- Texas Residency, in our case two most recent electric bills with your name and address correctly listed on them
- Identity (Go with your international passport)
- Social Security Number or ITIN
- Make two original printouts and two photocopies of each document
- Go with 20 dollars in cash or your debit card (Banks are very far from the location)
- Download the Texas Driver’s License or Identification Card Application form on their website.
- Fill the form carefully and make two photocopies
- When you have secured the necessary documents, book an appointment on their website. As the date approaches, they will send you reminders of both their address and the time.
- Try to not miss your appointment. Their office is always crowded with people.
- Try to dress smart and look good too with a nice hairdo/cut because your passport will be taken there, and you will be carrying that around for as long as your Texas ID lasts.
- You will be given a temporary Texas ID in the form of a slip when your registration is completed, and in less than two weeks, your permanent Texas ID will be mailed to you.
The Texas ID has been very handy to me in the places where my International ID used to be needed, like in obtaining money orders from HEB for my house rents, buying wines from Wine shops, and entry passes to clubhouses. It is smaller and more portable than my passport booklet, and helps obscure your visa details from prying eyes. Get this first step done, while you wait on the second step, which is getting your US Student Visa renewed.
I hope this information helps you as much as it helped me. Good luck!
About the author:
Osinachi Okafor was born in Aba, Abia State. She hails from Ebenator village, Azigbo town in Nnewi LGA of Anambra State, Nigeria. She is a current Ph.D student in Art History. She got her B.A in Fine and Applied Art at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria in 2017. Read more.
Further Reading:
Remembering the Philippine People Power: A Night of History, Community, and Sustainability