In 2023, the Illinois Secretary of State launched the “Skip the Line” program to lower wait times at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) facilities for drivers trying to get permits and licenses.

In 2024, officials said, citing customer feedback and data, that wait times had decreased while not offering any specifics.

But several international students at the University of Illinois say they are still in the waiting game.

Hafsah Mahzabin Chowdhury, a PhD student studying computer science at the university, had been trying to book an appointment with the Department of Motor Vehicles in Champaign to get a learner’s permit since October 2024. 

Each time she checked the website during the day, no appointments were available. The online system advises users to log in around 6:30 a.m., when new appointment slots are typically released.

“I have spent countless nights awake to catch the 6:30 a.m. timing. It never worked,” Chowdhury said. “Since a great number of students try at the same time, the portal runs very slowly at that time. By the time you get to refresh the page, it’s already a couple of minutes past 6:30 and you have no slots available. It’s a game of microseconds there.” 

After many mornings of trying, she finally got a slot for July 2025 — about nine months after trying. But once she obtained her learner’s permit, the race for a driving test slot began all over again.

Skip the Line

In 2023, the Secretary of State introduced its “Skip-the-Line” Program aimed at reducing wait time for the busiest departments’ facilities in Illinois. The program focused on the digitization of the Department of Motor Vehicles, which the Secretary of State office oversees, and extended hours to offer more availability. 

Champaign’s facility was one of the 16 locations that added Saturday hours so people had more availability to complete appointments without weekday crowding.

One year later, a press release from the Secretary of State’s office said “new data showed the multi-pronged approach designed to reduce wait times” had improved the customer experience at the facilities. They said wait times had decreased “significantly” but did not offer specific data on the decrease.

CU-CitizenAccess.org recently filed a Freedom of Information Act request for specific data on appointment numbers and average wait times, but an attorney for the Secretary of State’s office who handles requests cited the language from a decision on a court case that “‘A request to inspect or copy must reasonably identify a public record and not general data, information, or statistics.’ Chicago Tribune, Co. v. Dep’t of Financial and Professional Regulation, 2014.”

The attorney noted the office gets many requests each year. They referred CU-CitizenAccess to the department’s communications director but he did not respond to questions about the lack of specific data on wait times.

New initiatives

Max Walczyk, communications manager for the Secretary of State’s office did say the Champaign facility has traditionally been one of the state’s busiest outside the Chicago area.

“During the start of each semester at the beginning of fall and in mid-January, there is a slightly higher demand with students who are seeking to obtain, update, or renew a driver’s license or ID,” he said.

Walczyk also noted that during these two periods, the agency increased the number of available appointments. As of February 2026, appointment availability has expanded by more than 200 slots per week.

The Champaign facility was converted into a DMV+ in August last year, so all employees have been cross-trained. This means people can now access all driver and vehicle services at a single counter in a single appointment.

This is the first DMV+ outside of Springfield and Chicago to open and is a modernized “one-stop-shop” facility introduced by the Illinois Secretary of State. It also expands traditional driver and vehicle services to include specialized business and administrative functions that previously required a trip to flagship offices in Chicago or Springfield.

“We’ve been able to service more residents and add capacity with more staff, additional stations, more appointments, and expanded services to accommodate residents,” Walczyk said.

However, a review of social media found numerous complaints from residents still struggling to secure appointments year round, echoing  the frustrations of international students.

Nearby towns ease pressure

In public forums, several people point to the Rantoul and Monticello facilities as preferred alternatives, citing easier walk-in access and less stressful driving tests. 

Both offices are within a short driving distance of Champaign. Rantoul is about 16 miles north, roughly a 15 to 20 minute drive, while Monticello is about 22 miles southwest, or around 25 minutes by car.

The Champaign facility at 2012 Round Barn Rd. first opened in 2015. Census data in 2024 shows Champaign had a total population of 91,951 in 2024, with roughly 85% of residents aged 16 or older, the minimum age for a driver’s license.

In comparison, Rantoul has a population of 12,421, with about 77% are 16 or older, while Monticello has 6,304 residents, with approximately 83% are 16 or older.

The Secretary of State did release data on customers who received driver’s services between 2021 and 2025 in response to a public records request filed by CU-CitizenAccess.

In 2024, when the program was in its first year, the data showed the Champaign facility served 29,244 customers. The Rantoul and Monticello facilities served 18,067 and 7,804, respectively. 

DMV Facility	2022 Customers	2023 Customers	2024 Customers	2025 Customers
Champaign	21,258	27,486	29,244	31,150
Rantoul	20,063	20,816	18,067	22,891
Monticello	7,774	7,945	7,804	12,209

If each customer were a different person, this indicates the Champaign facility served about 37% of the city’s driving-age population — 29,244 out of approximately 78,480 driving-age residents — whereas the other two facilities served more than twice their city’s driving-age population.

In 2025, the numbers increased for each facility. Monticello served 44% more customers than the previous year, Rantoul served 23% more and Champaign served 6% more.

Champaign’s population size places significant pressure on a single DMV facility, raising concerns that the office may be operating beyond its intended capacity.

“We offer about 100 new appointments every day in the morning for that particular day; and about 100 or so new appointments for 10 days out. We recommend getting online as early as possible, as appointments book up early,” Walczyk said.

Chowdhury booked her driving test at Rantoul in December 2025.

“Booking an appointment [at the] Champaign DMV is a draining process, and I couldn’t go through it twice,” she said. “I had taken help from a driving school here, which took me to Rantoul in their car for the test. I had to pay a total of $360.” 

Chowdhury is not alone. Several other international students said they faced similar issues in the area trying to get a driver’s license.

Shehneela Naz, a second-year master’s student at the Department of Education, said she also had difficulty booking appointments. 

“The whole process is extremely difficult for international students, who have very limited resources,” she said.

After six months of trying, Naz got her permit in February 2025. Now she is trying to get a slot for the test.

“I will graduate in May. So, I don’t think the license would be of much help to me here anymore,” she said.