A key Texas licensing board is set to vote Tuesday on whether to permanently require proof of legal eligibility for occupational licenses.

The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation is expected to decide March 24 whether to formalize a policy requiring applicants to verify lawful presence, a move that could affect thousands of workers across multiple trades.

The proposed rule follows a recent legal interpretation that state agencies must ensure applicants meet federal eligibility standards tied to immigration status. Under current guidance, applicants must provide documentation proving lawful presence or risk denial of a license.

The agency website states that federal law “provides that a person who is NOT a U.S. citizen or national is not eligible for a professional or commercial license” unless they meet specific immigration categories, including qualified alien status or lawful nonimmigrant status.

Supporters argue the measure aligns Texas licensing practices with federal law and protects job opportunities for legal residents. In a letter dated March 23, Texans for Strong Borders urged the board to make the rule permanent.

 

“For too long, illegal aliens have exploited loopholes in our systems, undermining the integrity of professional standards and displacing qualified Texans from vital occupations,” President Chris Ruffo wrote, adding that the policy “safeguards jobs for legal workers … and deters the flood of illegal entrants.”

The group cited estimates that as many as 1.3 million illegal aliens are working in Texas, though such figures are based on research estimates and not official state counts.

Critics have raised concerns about workforce shortages in industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. “I’m going to have two credentials that I’m not going to be able to use,” Iris Yanez, a 45-year-old illegal alien hairdresser, previously said, per the Austin American-Statesman.

A previous report noted that about 18,000 existing licenses — roughly 2% of the total — are not linked to a Social Security number, and could be impacted if stricter verification is enforced, according to state data cited in earlier coverage by The Dallas Express.

That earlier reporting also found the policy stems from a legal opinion by Attorney General Ken Paxton requiring a valid Social Security number for occupational license applications, reversing prior guidance.

Commissioners are expected to weigh those competing concerns before voting on whether to make the verification requirement a permanent rule.