Vermont to grant professional licenses, regardless of immigration status, to ease labor shortage

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Starting in September, Vermont will be able to grant professional licenses to people who meet the requirements, regardless of their immigration status, in a move supporters hope will ease Vermont’s labor shortage.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed the bill into law on Monday.

“We all know the challenges of our shrinking workforce and the need to maximize our state’s economic potential by employing professionals in occupations that best align with their skills and training, regardless of their immigration status,” Sen. Becca White, a Democrat, told Senate colleagues last month.

The law gives applicants the option of providing a federal employer identification number or an individual taxpayer identification number, instead of a social security number, to obtain or maintain a professional license or certification.