S 5996: Relates to permitting individuals enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood arrivals program to apply for professional licenses if they meet all additional requirements.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5996 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SEPULVEDA, GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to permitting individuals enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood arrivals program to apply for professional licenses The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 6501 of the education law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 3 to read as follows: 3 3. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a qualified 4 applicant shall include individuals enrolled in the federal deferred 5 action for childhood arrivals program who meets all additional require- 6 ments prescribed for in the article for such particular profession. 7 § 2. Subdivision 6 of section 6524 of the education law, as amended by 8 chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 9 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 10 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 11 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 12 dence in the United States; provided, however that the board of regents 13 may grant a three year waiver for a noncitizen physician to practice in 14 an area which has been designated by the department as medically under- 15 served, except that the board of regents may grant an additional exten- 16 sion not to exceed six years to a noncitizen physician to enable [him or 17 her] such noncitizen to secure citizenship or permanent resident status, 18 provided such status is being actively pursued; and provided further 19 that the board of regents may grant an additional three year waiver, and 20 at its expiration, an extension for a period not to exceed six addi- 21 tional years, for the holder of an H-1b visa, an O-1 visa, or an equiv- 22 alent or successor visa thereto; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01275-01-5 
 S. 5996 2 1 § 3. Subdivision 6 of section 6554 of the education law, as amended by 2 chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 3 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 4 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 5 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 6 dence in the United States; 7 § 4. Subdivision 6 of section 6604 of the education law, as amended by 8 chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 9 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 10 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 11 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 12 dence in the United States; provided, however, that the board of regents 13 may grant a three year waiver for a noncitizen to practice in an area 14 which has been designated a federal dental health professions shortage 15 area, except that the board of regents may grant an additional extension 16 not to exceed six years to a noncitizen to enable [him or her] such 17 noncitizen to secure citizenship or permanent resident status, provided 18 such status is being actively pursued; 19 § 5. Subdivision 6 of section 6609 of the education law, as amended by 20 chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 21 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 22 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 23 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 24 dence in the United States; provided, however, that the board of regents 25 may grant a three year waiver for a noncitizen to practice in an area 26 which has been designated a federal dental health professions shortage 27 area, except that the board of regents may grant an additional extension 28 not to exceed six years to a noncitizen to enable [him or her] such 29 noncitizen to secure citizenship or permanent resident status, provided 30 such status is being actively pursued; 31 § 6. Subdivision 6 of section 6704 of the education law, as amended by 32 chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 33 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 34 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 35 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 36 dence in the United States; provided, however that the board of regents 37 may grant a one-time three-year waiver for a veterinarian who otherwise 38 meets the requirements of this article and who has accepted an offer to 39 practice veterinary medicine in a county in the state which the depart- 40 ment has certified as having a shortage of qualified applicants to fill 41 existing vacancies in veterinary medicine, and provided further that the 42 board of regents may grant an extension of such three-year waiver of not 43 more than one year; 44 § 7. Subdivision 6 of section 6711 of the education law, as amended by 45 chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 46 6. Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 47 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 48 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 49 dence in the United States; provided, however that the board of regents 50 may grant a one-time three-year waiver for an animal health technician 51 who otherwise meets the requirements of this article and provided 52 further that the board of regents may grant an extension of such three- 53 year waiver of not more than one year; 54 § 8. Paragraph 6 of subdivision 1 of section 6805 of the education 55 law, as amended by chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read 56 as follows: 
 S. 5996 3 1 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 2 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 3 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 4 dence in the United States; 5 § 9. Subdivision 6 of section 6955 of the education law, as added by 6 chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 7 6. Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 8 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 9 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 10 dence in the United States. 11 § 10. Paragraph 6 of subdivision 1 of section 7206 of the education 12 law, as amended by chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read 13 as follows: 14 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 15 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 16 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 17 dence in the United States; 18 § 11. Paragraph 6 of subdivision 1 of section 7206-a of the education 19 law, as amended by chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read 20 as follows: 21 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 22 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 23 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 24 dence in the United States; 25 § 12. Paragraph 6 of subdivision 1 of section 7324 of the education 26 law, as amended by chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read 27 as follows: 28 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 29 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 30 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 31 dence in the United States; 32 § 13. Paragraph 6 of subdivision 1 of section 7504 of the education 33 law, as amended by chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read 34 as follows: 35 (6) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 36 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 37 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 38 dence in the United States; 39 § 14. Subdivision 5 of section 7804 of the education law, as amended 40 by chapter 669 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows: 41 (5) Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen, an 42 individual enrolled in the federal deferred action for childhood 43 arrivals program, or a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent resi- 44 dence in the United States; 45 § 15. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 46 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 47 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 48 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed 49 on or before such effective date.