Virginia laws give driver privileges and in-state tuition to tax-paying residents, regardless of immigration status.

 

To obtain a driver privilege card, immigrants will have to meet the requirements to obtain a standard driver’s license, but must also prove to have filed an income tax return. 

 

50 Ways is working with W&L tax experts and others to help local workers file taxes so they can apply for the driver privilege card. 

 

The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, a nonprofit policy group in Richmond, estimated the law would result in between 124,500 and 160,792 new drivers being licensed, according to a report in the Virginia Mercury. This would generate a minimum of $10 million in new title fees, sales tax receipts, license plate fees and new car registrations.

 

The tuition law makes all students eligible for in-state college tuition, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, as long as they’ve attended high school in Virginia for at least two years or graduated since July 1, 2008 and can show proof of filing Virginia taxes.

 

A 2019 report from the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute found that roughly 2,000 undocumented students graduate from Virginia high schools every year, according to the most recently available data from the U.S. Census Bureau.