Getting That License

Make sure to bring your Canadian license, Blood Quantum Letter and Band or Indian Status ID or Passport and Temporary Resident proof... I-94 Card, and lastly your Social Security Number. 

Do you have to take the written test if you already have a license? Yes. Do you have to take the driving test if you already have a license? If you have a license from another state, no. From another country, yes.

The written test is very similar to the one in Canada. A bunch of multiple choice questions. It's fairly easy, but when reviewing the book I assumed that most of the questions would be related to the road rules. But there are a fair amount of questions regarding impaired driving, what you have to do if you hit a car with no one in it, when a regular accident occurs and the damage is under a certain amount, damage over a certain amount, and what forms you need to fill out if transferring the title to someone else.

Getting Insurance

Officially you have 10 days to get your California driver's license. Which is another catch 22, because to get your license you need your SSN (Social Security Number), and it takes 14 days for your SSN to come in the mail. The reality is, what the government doesn't know, won't hurt you. I know people who have been using their Ontario license for 3 years now.

I don't recommend that because your Canadian insurance is very unlikely to cover you for more than 30 days in the U.S, and American insurance companies prefer an American driver's license (preferably one from the state you're in). It's in your benefit to get an American driver's license if you want to have the best opportunity at getting the lowest car insurance. The only reason I'd say to hold off, is that if you get a traffic infraction it'll affect your insurance for that license, so after that happens you get a U.S driver's license which has no points taken off, and get new insurance for your U.S license.

Another catch 22, and this is a tricky one, is getting your driver's license when you don't have car. Because you have to show proof of insurance on the car you do the test on. And to buy a car to do the test on, you need to have insurance on it, but you unlikely will be able to get insurance without an American driver's license (that you're trying to get in the first place!).

This is a strong reason to bring your car down from Canada. You're legal to drive it, you have valid Canadian insurance on it for awhile, and it's legally registered somewhere. So you won't have any problems getting your American license. Some of the larger insurance companies (like Prudential, Zurich, and State Farm) that have presence in Canada will give you insurance with your Canadian license if you tell them you'll get your American license. Most Canadians in the United States tend to find the best deal with Mercury Insurance, because they do recognize Canadians.