RAMA LAW IMMIGRATION PRACTICE GROUP
Immigration Solutions for Religious Workers
R1 Visa Details
The R1 visa may be obtained by a religious worker who:
- Has been a member of a US religious organization for the preceding two years and
- Seeks to enter the US for five years or less
The R1 visa is initially valid for three years and may be extended for an additional three years. Positions which qualify for an R1 visa are too numerous to list. Applicants should qualify for the visa as long as there is a religious component to the position.
Spouses and children of the R1 visa holder may obtain an R2 visa to enter and remain in the US. The R2 visa holder may attend school but if he or she wishes to work, he or she must change his or her status to obtain a work visa.
For Whom Is A R1 Visa Appropriate?
Foreign nationals coming to the US to work in a professional religious capacity for a religious group or community.
What Are The Requirements For Obtaining An R1 Visa?
An alien who, for at least the two (2) years immediately preceding the time of application for admission, has been a member of a religious denomination having a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the United States, may be admitted temporarily to the United States to carry on the activities of a religious worker for a period not to exceed five (5) years. The alien must be coming to the United States for one of the following purposes: solely to carry on the vocation of a minister of the religious denomination; to work for the religious organization at the request of the organization in a professional capacity; or to work for the organization, or a bona fide organization which is affiliated with the religious denomination, at the request of the organization in a religious vocation or occupation.
U.S Permanent Residency for Religious Workers
Applicants must be a member of a religious denomination that has a nonprofit religious organization in the United States for at least two years. Labor certification or PERM is not required under the EB4 category.
For Whom Is An Religious Worker Green Card Appropriate?
Religious workers such as ministers, priests, nuns, rabbis, ordained deacons and monks.
What are the requirements for obtaining an Religious Worker Green Card?
Applicants may qualify for permanent residence if they hold the following positions:
- As a minister or priest of the religious denomination;
- In a professional capacity in a religious vocation or occupation for the religious organization (a professional capacity means that a US baccalaureate degree or foreign equivalent is required to do this job); or
In a religious vocation or occupation for the religious organization or its nonprofit affiliate. (A religious vocation means a calling or devotion to religious life. Taking vows can prove that you have a calling to religious life. A religious occupation is an activity devoted to traditional religious functions. Examples of religious occupations include (but are not limited to) cantors, missionaries, and religious instructors.)
