BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) celebrated an interim final rule from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) eliminating an arbitrary requirement exacerbating the growing shortage of religious workers in American communities.
Under current law, religious workers with R-1 nonimmigrant status are required to leave the United States for at least one year after five years of service. The process for religious workers to apply for permanent residency is heavily backlogged, costing many churches and other religious organizations the beloved religious workers their communities rely on.
The new DHS rule allows religious workers who have reached five years of service to return to the U.S. on a new R-1 visa without having to wait a full year overseas, reducing the hardship experienced by communities of faith across the nation.
“Idaho’s religious communities and their beloved clergy are central to our right to worship. That’s why I proudly introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act,” said Risch. “The Trump Administration’s action aligns with our efforts to ensure Idaho’s religious workers can stay in the U.S. and continue serving their congregations while their visas are processed. I will continue working with Senators Collins and Kaine to pass our legislation and ensure none of Idaho’s religious workers face the threat of leaving the communities they love and serve so faithfully.”
Senator Risch introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act, with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), which would give the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to extend religious workers’ R-1 nonimmigrant status without having to leave the U.S. until they receive a decision on their permanent residency application.
Background
Almost 25% of clergy members across the country are foreign-born, impacting religious communities throughout the United States.
More than a fourth of Idaho’s Catholic priests are at risk of losing their legal immigration status within the next four years.
