CHICAGO (CBS) – Under an Illinois law that went into effect Monday, undocumented immigrants are now eligible for a regular driver’s license.

The goal of this change is to reduce the stigma of driving without citizenship and make the state's roads safer.

For more than a decade, undocumented immigrants have been able to drive legally in Illinois as long as they pass a driving test and have proof of insurance – according to legislation Enacted in 2013 by then Governor Pat QuinnThis new law goes a step further by changing the look and language of previous licenses.

The so-called TVDL – a temporary visitor's license – is now being replaced by a driving license that can be used as a valid identification document. The TVDL consists of a large purple rectangle with the word “TVDL” written in white at the top of the card.

Anyone who holds a TVDL has passed the written and practical exam and has proof of insurance – but does not have any documents as a U.S. citizen.

Among those who have owned a TVDL for some time is Olu Adeola.

“We have it because we have to be mobile,” he said. “We have children. We have to go to work.”

Adeola is also one of about 22,000 people waiting for their new standard driver's license, according to the state of Illinois.

“This will eliminate the discrimination that comes from saying you are not a legally documented person in the United States,” he said.

Adeola and his family are from Nigeria, and he has lived in the US for eight years. He now works in a restaurant on Chicago's North Side and no longer has to worry about having a special TVDL license with a purple bar.

He recounted a time when police stopped him and said he was sitting in his car “shaking” when it happened.

“It said, 'This is not a valid ID.' And the guy asked me for my ID,” Adeola said. “I pulled it out. I thought, 'Is he going to turn me away? Is he going to say no?' So I'm in trouble.”

Now the TVDL will be replaced by a regular driver's license – with the same red rectangle with “Driver's License” in white lettering that every Illinois driver's license has. At the top it would just say “Federal Limits.”

A person with the old or new driver's license for illegal immigrants must have proven their residency, provided proof of insurance and presented a passport – in addition to passing the written driving test.

Previously, a TVDL could not be used to open a bank account because it could not be used as an ID card. Now, thousands of people can get a regular driver's license and open bank accounts.

“This will help ensure that undocumented people in Illinois no longer have to live with the stigma that we are eliminating forever in Illinois,” said U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Illinois).

License holders can also use the new ID to redeem prescriptions or apply for housing. They cannot use it to vote.

The new law also prohibits the use of driver's license data for immigration enforcement purposes. An immigration officer can only request this information if he or she presents a court-ordered warrant or subpoena.

“This one gives you confidence while driving,” Adeola said.

The change – which is similar to laws already in place in New York, New Jersey and California – is intended to encourage unlicensed drivers to carry proof of insurance when taking their driving test.

“It means there are fewer drivers with valid licenses. It means there are fewer drivers who have passed the written driving test or learned the rules of the road. It means there are fewer drivers who have passed the rigorous practical driving tests,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

The state estimates that 22,000 new IDs will be mailed on Monday to those who have already requested replacements.

According to CBS News Chicago, over 300,000 undocumented immigrants will be eligible for the new driver's license.