Texas DPS learner permit, H4, expired visa stamp, valid I-94 and I-797 has anyone succeeded after May 2026

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:police_car_light: Texas DPS learner permit, H4, expired visa stamp, valid I-94 and I-797 has anyone succeeded after May 2026

Hi Everyone,

Looking for recent firsthand experiences from Texas specifically.

:clipboard: Our situation:
• Son (teen) on H4 dependent visa
• Valid unexpired passport :white_check_mark:
• Valid I-94 (current admission) :white_check_mark:
• Valid H4 I-797 approval notice :white_check_mark:
• Visa stamp — EXPIRED :cross_mark:

:office_building: What happened at Texas DPS:
We visited a DPS office in the DFW area to get a learner permit for our teen son. The officer and even the supervisor refused, citing the federal REAL ID regulation (6 CFR 37.11, item vi) which requires an unexpired foreign passport WITH a valid unexpired U.S. visa stamp + I-94.

We pointed out that the Texas DPS REAL ID Document Check app says for Temporary Visitors: “visa may be valid OR expired” but the supervisor still declined.

:red_question_mark: Our questions:

  1. Has anyone in Texas successfully gotten a learner permit or driver license with an expired H4 visa stamp after April 2026?
  2. Which DPS office / city?
  3. What exact documents did you bring?
  4. Did you need to escalate to a supervisor or district manager?
  5. Did an immigration attorney letter help?

Any help or recent datapoints from Texas DPS would be greatly appreciated! :folded_hands: