Bill would allow foreign-born religious workers to continue to perform essential services in American communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, U.S. Reps. Mike Carey (R-Ohio-15), Richard Neal (D-Mass.-01), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.-27), and Pete Stauber (R-Minn.-08) introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to allow religious workers already present in the U.S. on temporary R-1 status with pending EB-4 applications to stay in the U.S. while waiting for permanent residency.
“Religious organizations across the country continuously rely on religious workers to help meet the needs of their communities,” Rep. Carey said. “That’s why I’m proud to lead this common sense, bipartisan legislation to ensure that places of worship can operate without disruptions despite the current backlog in EB-4 processing times.”
“For years, my office has worked with religious organizations across western Massachusetts to help bring religious workers to the United States to serve in their congregations. Recently, we began hearing from the Springfield Diocese about priests at risk of having to return to their home country due to delays in processing their green cards. Failure to address this issue would affect not just Massachusetts, but faith-based organizations nationwide,” Rep. Neal said. “I am proud to partner with Congressman Carey and our colleagues in the Senate to address this pressing issue with a bipartisan, commonsense solution. Religious institutions play an essential role in our communities, offering support, connection, and invaluable services. This legislation will ensure they can continue their vital work for years to come.”
“Miami is home to hundreds of faith communities that rely on religious workers to do God’s work,” Rep. Salazar said. “I’m proud to co-lead the Religious Workforce Protection Act to ensure our congregations have the personnel they need to keep the faith alive and growing.”
“Religious workers play a vital role in our communities. It is important that we address the current backlogs to ensure they continue to provide their crucial services. That is why I am proud to support this common-sense legislation with my colleagues,” Rep. Stauber said.
“I am deeply grateful for the efforts and leadership of Congressman Carey in finding a solution through the Religious Workforce Protection Act to allow many of our religious priests and sisters to continue to serve the People of God and our local communities through their ministry. At a pivotal time in our country, priests and religious, including those from other countries who serve here as missionaries, are critical to building a civilization of love, assisting in the growth of the virtues of solidarity and fraternity, and providing the sacramental and pastoral care to meet the needs of our people, an increasingly diverse group from around the world. Congressman Carey listened attentively to our concerns and showed initiative in seeking a constructive solution. His efforts and those of his colleagues represent ‘the better kind of politics’ to which Pope Francis invites us and for which we, in the Diocese of Columbus, are most grateful,” Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus said.
BACKGROUND:
Under current law, religious workers in R-1 nonimmigrant status are limited to five years in the U.S. After five years, these religious workers must return to their home countries for at least one year before they can come back to the U.S., costing churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations the religious workers on whom their congregations, and the local communities that they serve, have grown to depend.
The Religious Workforce Protection Act would fix this problem by granting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary the authority to extend temporary R-1 nonimmigrant status for religious workers past five years until they receive a decision on their permanent residence application.
Though some progress has been made, many religious workers who are in the United States on temporary R-1 visas are still unable to receive decisions on permanent EB-4 visa applications within the maximum five-year duration of an R-1 visa.
The Religious Workforce Protection Act would provide a targeted and limited solution to this problem by granting the DHS Secretary the authority to extend temporary R-1 nonimmigrant status for religious workers past five years until they receive a decision on an EB-4 application if (1) the religious institution that they work for has petitioned for their lawful permanent residence under the EB-4 category, and (2) they are otherwise eligible to become lawful permanent residents (and, therefore, are not subject to any existing bars to obtaining a visa).
The bill would also allow for limited job flexibility while these religious workers are waiting for a decision on their EB-4 applications, so that they do not have to restart the long permanent residence process simply because they moved from one parish or temple to another or received a promotion or title change.
U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
Full text of the bill is available here.
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