Gov. Tony Evers signed a bipartisan bill that helps remove barriers to employment for “Dreamers,” recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, who are already living and working in Wisconsin.
Act 240 allows workers who are Dreamers to obtain credentials for certain occupations if they satisfy all applicable credentialing requirements. The governor’s action aims to provide a boost to the state’s workforce in high-need industries and professions including registered nurses, dentists, teachers, emergency medical technicians, and trade workers.
“Since 2012, DACA has provided individuals who came here as kids and call our country home the opportunity to apply for and obtain legal work status, ensuring folks can work and support themselves and their families. But here in Wisconsin—whether it’s restrictions on obtaining a driver’s license to operate a vehicle or certain work-related credentials—unnecessary barriers are holding hard-working people, as well as our workforce, economy, and communities, back,” said Evers. “In Wisconsin, we’ve always believed that if you work hard, obey the law, pay taxes, and play by the rules just like everyone else, you should have a fair shot at pursuing the American Dream, including having the opportunity to join our professional workforce.”
Under Act 240, workers will still be required to have a valid, unexpired employment authorization document issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. So long as the worker’s federal work authorization is renewed, their credentials may be renewed. According to the Migration Policy Institute, as of September 2025, there were over 505,000 active DACA recipients from close to 200 different countries of birth residing all over the U.S., including over 5,100 in Wisconsin.
