Salt Lake City Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed 7 new laws, most notably SB35, which expands occupational licensing endorsements to qualified immigrants and refugees.
Most state licensing agencies are able to work with internationally trained individuals to give them access to work in Utah in their area of expertise.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, “We have many people who live here, who come from other countries where they’ve been doctors, but they don’t have a license here in the US, we want to change it so it’s easier to get a license here and they can work.”
“Doctors, engineers, Ubers or other types of jobs. It’s all good work, but we want to help them work on what they’ve studied. Today we want to expand this law to other government agencies,” said Alexander Bebe, of the Office of Research and Policy in the Division of Occupational Licensing.
The agencies that may grant these licenses are: Department of Agriculture and Food, Pete Suazo Utah Sports Commission within the Department of Culture and Community Engagement; Ministry of Commerce ; Department of Environmental Quality; Department of Health and Human Services; The Utah Office of Rehabilitation is within the Department of Workforce Services, the Commission on Labor, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Transportation.
Licensing has a significant impact on the workforce in Utah. More than a third of state workers require a state permit. By taking steps to accelerate licensing portability, Utah could close the gap between the underemployment of highly skilled immigrants and the underemployment of native-born graduates.
The Governor’s Office is inviting people to participate in the Survey of Overseas-Trained Professionals.
