Fernando Leon, Clemente Sajquiy, Gicela Rey and Edrick Rosado man the welcome table outside the Pittsfield Registry of Motor Vehicles this week. The state's Work and Family Mobility Act went into effect on Saturday allowing more immigrants to get drivers' licenses.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Work and Family Mobility Act, which went into effect on July 1, provides hope and a sense of ease for immigrants across the  commonwealth.

This week, community leaders were staged outside of the Registry of Motor Vehicles providing assistance and support after the act made it possible for residents to apply for a standard class D or M driver's license regardless of immigration status.

"I summarize it as hope for people that things can get better," activist Clemente Sajquiy said on Monday. "They are going to be finally able to drive freely without being afraid of being pulled over and their cars being taken from them."

While it is a big relief from the fear, he said it is also an exciting moment and opens up a new world for many.

"It is a completely different exciting world, for people that they never experienced before," Sajquiy said.

Sajquiy came to the United States from Guatemala 13 years ago and has not had a driver's license for 10 of them.

"I moved to Connecticut to get a driver's license from Connecticut so for over 10 years, it's impacted by life and it's been a bunch of anxiety every time you drive," he said.

"I tell everybody that when I got my driver's license from Connecticut it took me a month to get over the habit of having to be alert every time I saw a police car."

Last Friday, the RMV announced that registration for appointments to obtain a Standard (Class D or M) driver's license would be available Saturday, July 1. The RMV said it is implementing additional supports for all Massachusetts communities in advance of the WFMA, is adding additional service hours at multiple RMV locations, and has added two new road test locations. 

About 105,000 applicants are anticipated in the first six months.

"Over the past several months, the RMV has identified and created informational resources specifically to help guide new customers as they begin the process to secure a standard license credential," a press release read.

"To further support this effort, the RMV has also worked directly with immigration advocacy groups, stakeholders, and impacted communities to facilitate and coordinate public outreach and to solicit feedback on implementation efforts so that best practices can be adopted."

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, who was one of the sponsors of the bill, said that this has been in motion for about 20 years.  She and other sponsors have been working on it for about a decade.

"It's going to make a difference in individuals' lives because they're going to be able to do all the driving that the rest of us do, especially here in the Berkshire," she said.

"I mean, try to think about what your life would be like if you weren't able to drive. It would be completely different, right? Think about if you had a family and you needed to get your kids to school or to the doctor, you're going grocery shopping for a family, what is that like?"

She pointed out that it will also make a big difference to people who are not eligible under the act because everyone will be trained, licensed, and ensured.

"It's good for everybody and the more people who have licenses and all the fees that go along with the RMV, that is money that we use for road infrastructure and all that," Farley-Bouvier said.

She explained that the Pittsfield welcome table was coordinated between the volunteers and RMV managers.

"I talked to several people that were coming out after they have their first appointments and I said, 'can you tell me how it went?' And they everybody had only good things to say," Farley-Bouvier said.

"They said that the workers in there at the counter were really friendly and helpful and quick, it didn't take long. So it was just really, really, really nice to see."

She pointed out that it great deal of preparation on the staff's part because the requirements under the act are different.

People applying for the first time must obtain a permit and take a driver's test and others can apply for a transfer of a pre-existing license, which is a faster process.

Sajquiy reported that the volunteers have seen a good amount of people obtain appointments, some of which had extra questions about the applications.

"We had also a good bunch of people come in just for generation information," he added.

"They wanted to know what we were doing, what the process was, what kind of documents they needed.  And then we had some people who needed help all the way through, I call it."

Effective July 5, Class D road tests are available by appointment for all customers at two new temporary road test sites in Lynn and Revere. 

For more information, visit Mass.Gov/WFMA.

• Most Read

• Most Comments

• All News

• Blogroll

• Photos