Upon payment of the required nonrefundable fee and submission of required documentation, the Department may, in its discretion, license as a certified professional midwife, an applicant who is a certified professional midwife licensed in another jurisdiction, if the requirements for licensure in that jurisdiction were, at the time of licensure, substantially equivalent to the requirements in force in this State on that date or equivalent to the requirements of this Act. Applicants have 3 years from the date of application to complete the application process. If the process has not been completed in 3 years, the application shall be denied, the fee shall be forfeited, and the applicant must reapply and meet the requirements in effect at the time of reapplication.