The Registry of Motor Vehicles has hired 52 employees since the start of the month when a new law took effect allowing people without lawful proof of presence in the United States to seek out standard driver’s licenses.
New hires have been placed at service center locations across the state just as roughly 100,000 requests for learner’s permits appointments have come in since July 1, an agency spokesperson said this week.
Officials at the registry said they expected some 280,000 people to apply for a driver’s license within the first four years of the law, with the biggest demand in the first six months. The Healey administration set aside $28 million to pay for the implementation of the law.
Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie previously said the RMV wanted to hire more than 200 new employees in anticipation of the law. Most of those people would be frontline service center workers who handle most of the license application work.
The RMV is in the process of hiring 21 employees for the road test program and 10 employees for its contact center, the agency spokesperson said.
The law has been hailed by supporters as a way to make sure all drivers on the road are insured and understand safety rules. It survived opposition from former Gov. Charlie Baker and an unsuccessful Republican-led push to overturn the law after the state Legislature gave it final approval.
RMV officials said it will take about 15 weeks from start to finish to receive a driver’s license in the mail, assuming the required tests are passed on the first try.
Prospective applicants must schedule an appointment before showing up at an RMV service center location, Ogilvie has stressed in the past.
“The first job is to make an appointment. And during that time, gather all the information you need. If you have any documents that are in a foreign language, we need those translated, we have …information on our website about what the requirements are for translation,” Ogilvie previously said. “Study the materials so you’ll pass the permit test on the first try. Once you receive your permit, then it’s time to practice driving and make an appointment for a road test.”