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Religious Workers Visas(R)
 

The Religious Worker (R) visa is for persons seeking to enter the United States (U.S.) to work in a religious capacity on a temporary basis.  On November 26, 2008, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) promulgated regulations requiring that sponsoring employers must file Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for all aliens for whom R-1 nonimmigrant status is sought.  As a result, no R-1 visas may be issued to an alien who is not the beneficiary of an approved Form I-129 petition.

For detailed information regarding this type of visa please visit the following link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1272.html#1

To qualify for an R-visa, the applicant must:

  • be a member of a religious denomination having a bona-fide nonprofit, tax-exempt religious organization or affiliation in the U.S.;
  • have been a member of the denomination for 2 years immediately preceding the application for visa;
  • be entering the U.S. solely to carry on the vocation of a minister or to work full-time in a religious occupation for that denomination or affiliated organization.

Additionally, if the applicant was previously in the U.S. under an R-visa for five years, the applicant must have resided and been physically present outside the US for one year immediately prior to the present application for an R-visa.

The applicant's affiliated denomination must show that it:

  • possesses some form of ecclesiastical government;
  • have a recognized creed and form of worship;
  • have a formal code of doctrine and discipline; and
  • holds religious services and ceremonies in established places of worship attended by congregations.

The principal applicant receives an R-1 visa. Spouse and children (unmarried and under 21 years old) receive R-2 visas as the applicant's dependents. R-2 visa holders cannot work in the U.S. Each applicant must pay separate application fees.

Also Keep In Mind

Religious institutions in the U.S. must provide:

Certificate issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service showing the religious organization in the US is tax-exempt or proof that it can qualify if it applied for tax-exempt status.

Letter from an authorized official of the religious organization in the U.S. affirming:

  1. the affiliation between the U.S.-based organization and the overseas religious denomination;
  2. the duration of the applicant's membership in the overseas religious denomination;
  3.  the applicant's authority to function as a minister of religion, or the nature of the applicant's responsibilities as a professional religious worker;
  4. evidence of a baccalaureate degree if the applicant is a professional religious worker;
  5. arrangements for remuneration for the applicant's services in the US; and
  6. the name and location of the religious congregation or organization in the US for which the applicant would be providing services.