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
Documented lawful presence for a Texas driver licence or ID

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, DPS and the Social Security Administration will ask to see. It is generated electronically and retrieved from the CBP website — check the spelling and the date immediately, because errors are much easier to fix early.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Wait about ten days, then apply for a Social Security number
SSA verifies your status against DHS systems that lag entry by one to two weeks, so an immediate visit usually ends in being sent away. File Form SS-5 in person with 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 tax filing and is accepted by many banks. It confers no right to work.
OnlineWho: You
4
Book a Texas DPS appointment once you have an address
Houston-area driver licence offices work by appointment and waits can run weeks. Comfortable inside 90 days if you book on arrival; stressful if you do not. Suburban offices in Katy, Humble, Pasadena and Rosenberg often have earlier availability than the central ones.
OnlineWho: You
5
Ask for a REAL ID-compliant licence
Since 7 May 2025 a non-compliant state licence cannot be used to board a domestic flight. Texas licences issued on lawful-presence documents are generally compliant, but confirm at the counter and look for the marking. Your passport also works.
In personWho: You
6
Track your own status expiry
Nobody will remind you. USCIS extensions and change-of-status petitions take 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 proofs of Texas residency for DPS

Things most newcomers don’t know

Houston has one of the largest immigration bars in the country, and that is genuinely useful.

Because Harris County is among the most diverse jurisdictions in America and hosts a Houston Immigration Court plus a USCIS field office, the local market for immigration counsel is deep and competitive. Fees are lower here than in New York or the Bay Area for comparable work, and finding a lawyer who has run your specific petition type dozens of times is realistic. That matters more than any single procedural rule.

Source: community-reported

Texas requires lawful presence for any state ID; several other states do not.

Texas DPS will not issue a driver licence or state identification card without documentation of lawful presence. Oregon, Washington, New York and California all issue a standard licence without it. In a metro area where you cannot function without driving, that difference decides whether you can hold any government ID at all if your status is pending or lapsed.

Source: Texas DPS — driver licence requirements

The visa 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 checks 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 return. Waiting until about day ten turns two trips across a very large metro into one, and nothing else meaningfully depends on having the number before then.

Source: Social Security Administration — noncitizens and Social Security numbers

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the visa expiry as your permitted stay rather than the I-94 'admit until' date.
Assuming Texas issues IDs without lawful presence the way Oregon and New York do.
Visiting a Social Security office before DHS records have synced.
Paying anyone a fee for a Social Security card — it is free.
Leaving the DPS appointment to the end of the 90 days and finding no slots in the metro.

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