Drivers licenses and other IDs are issued by the individual states, which can be issued by the states to anyone they decide to according to state laws. But the federal government (mostly just the TSA which is a part of the DHS) wanted to set a minimum standard for issuing IDs and so if you go through the process of proving you are who you say you are you get a state issued ID with a special star on it that indicates that the US government has 100% verified your identity.
In particular, you can generally get a (normal) driver’s license in any state where you’re a legal resident, regardless of citizenship. The REAL ID drivers’ licenses are restricted to US citizens.
(I carry my green card when I fly, which is frequent enough these days that I have it in my wallet, which could come in handy if I’m ever stopped by ICE.)
You can get a real ID drivers license with a work visa, but you need a valid visa stamp. If you only have a 797 you can’t produce the 4th (or 3rd?) piece of evidence to get a Real ID so you are restricted to a regular driver’s license
Drivers licenses and other IDs are issued by the individual states, which can be issued by the states to anyone they decide to according to state laws. But the federal government (mostly just the TSA which is a part of the DHS) wanted to set a minimum standard for issuing IDs and so if you go through the process of proving you are who you say you are you get a state issued ID with a special star on it that indicates that the US government has 100% verified your identity.
Oh, and the DHS has just said that a real id is too unreliable to confirm your identity.
In particular, you can generally get a (normal) driver’s license in any state where you’re a legal resident, regardless of citizenship. The REAL ID drivers’ licenses are restricted to US citizens.
(I carry my green card when I fly, which is frequent enough these days that I have it in my wallet, which could come in handy if I’m ever stopped by ICE.)
You can get a real ID drivers license with a work visa, but you need a valid visa stamp. If you only have a 797 you can’t produce the 4th (or 3rd?) piece of evidence to get a Real ID so you are restricted to a regular driver’s license