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08-01-2008, 07:58 AM #1
MN:Applicants for professional licenses must give immig stat
Applicants for professional licenses must give immigration status
By STACY FORSTER
sforster@journalsentinel.com
Posted: July 31, 2008
Madison - Applicants for state professional licenses will have to verify that they are U.S. citizens or have legal immigration status under new Department of Regulation and Licensing rules that take effect today.
AdvertisementCredential forms will include a new section that asks an applicant to certify under penalty of law that they are either a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien or non-immigrant here legally.
All new applicants must supply the information, and people with existing licenses will verify their status the next time they renew their credentials, said department spokesman David Carlson.
Those who don’t provide such information will not be issued licenses, he said.
The requirement stems from a legal opinion last year by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen that the department must institute a procedure for verifying immigration status of applicants.
Van Hollen said federal law prohibits states from providing benefits — including professional licenses — to illegal immigrants.
He said that asking applicants about their immigration status would be consistent with the practice of asking for other kinds of evidence from those applying for licenses or credentials.
The department oversees 350,000 license holders — including 50,000 new credentials a year — and regulates 128 types of credentials in 57 professional fields, from manicurists to dentists.
The department doesn’t have specific numbers but doesn’t expect the policy to affect many applicants.
Van Hollen’s opinion suggested the state use a federal database for checking eligibility for other public benefits.
But the department believes the checkoff process is sufficient, and that verifying status or asking for proof of citizenship or immigration status would put too great a burden on the agency, Carlson said.
“We’re asking individuals to make a self-certification, and they are in a better position than we are to know exactly what their legal status is,â€Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)
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08-01-2008, 08:16 AM #2
[quote]Rep. Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee) said the requirement itself was unnecessary and takes the state down a “slippery slope,â€
Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)
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