U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) has welcomed a new interim final rule from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that removes a requirement affecting foreign-born religious workers in the United States.
Previously, religious workers holding R-1 nonimmigrant status were mandated to leave the country for at least one year after completing five years of service. This regulation, combined with significant delays in processing permanent residency applications, led many churches and religious organizations to lose valued members of their clergy.
The updated DHS rule permits religious workers who have completed five years of service to return to the U.S. on a new R-1 visa without waiting abroad for a full year. This change is intended to ease difficulties faced by faith communities nationwide.
“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, along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act. The bill would authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend R-1 nonimmigrant status for religious workers until their permanent residency applications are decided, allowing them to remain in the country during this period.
Nearly 25 percent of clergy members across the nation are foreign-born, which affects many religious communities throughout the United States. In Idaho specifically, more than a quarter of Catholic priests could be at risk of losing their legal immigration status within four years.
