Temporary religious worker (R-1) visas are for persons who want to lớn work temporarily in the United States in religious capacities.
Bạn đang xem: Temporary visa for religious workers: the r
be a thành viên of the same religious denomination as the religious organization you plan khổng lồ work for in the United States for at least two years before that organization files a petition on your behalf;be coming to lớn work as a minister or in a religious vocation or occupation in the United States;be employed by a non-profit religious organization in the United States (or an organization affiliated with the religious denomination in the United States); andwork at least part time, an average of at least đôi mươi hours per week.
ALL / ALL / For Some Temporary Religious Activity, a Visitor (B) Visa Can Be Used
Certain religious activities are permissible using avisitor (B) visa, such as participation in religious conventions or conferences in the United States. A visitor visa is also generally appropriate for ministers of religion seeking to enter the United States temporarily, whose wages và reimbursement will be paid by their own religious group outside the United States, and when coming for:
A religious tour, without taking an appointment with any one place of worship; or Exchanging pulpits temporarily with U.S. Counterparts; orMembers performing missionary or voluntary service for a denomination, such as khổng lồ aid the elderly or needy.
When you have a religious vocation or profession or are a religious worker coming for temporary employment, with your salary paid by a non-profit religious organization in the United States, you must have a religious worker (R) visa or other work visa.
ALL / ALL / Petition Approval
Before you can apply for a temporary religious worker visa at a U.S. Embassy or consulate, a
Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, form I-129, must be filed on your behalf by a prospective employer và approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For more information about the petition process and eligibility requirements, see
Working in the U.S.,Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers, and
R-1 Temporary Nonimmigrant Religious Workerson the USCIS website. USCIS will notify your prospective employer about the petition approval or denial, by sending a Notice of Action, form I-797.
ALL / ALL / Important Notice: Same-sex Marriage
Effective immediately, U.S. Embassies and consulates will adjudicate visa applications based on a same-sex marriage in the same way that we adjudicate applications for opposite gender spouses.Please reference the specific guidance on the visa category for which you are applying for more details on documentation required for derivative spouses. For further information, please see our
FAQ’s.
How to Apply
There are several steps to apply for a visa. The order of these steps & how you complete them may vary at the U.S. Embassy or consulate where you apply. Please consult the instructions available on theembassy or consulate websitewhere you will apply.
Complete the Online Visa Application
Schedule an Interview
While interviews are generally not required for applicants of the ages outlined below, consular officers have the discretion khổng lồ require an interview of any applicant, regardless of age.
Generally not required |
Required (some exceptions) |
Generally not required |
You must schedule an appointment for your visa interview, generally, at the
U.S. Embassy or Consulatein the country where you live. You may schedule your interview at any U.S. Embassy or consulate but it may be difficult khổng lồ qualify for a visa outside of your place of permanent residence.
Wait times for interview appointments vary by location, season, và visa category, so you should apply early. Review the interview wait time for the location where you will apply:
Appointment Wait Time
Check the estimated wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Note: Please kiểm tra the individual Embassy or Consulate website to determine if your case is eligible for a waiver of the in-person interview.
Applicants scheduling visa appointments in a location different from their place of residence should check post websites for nonresident wait times.
Select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate:
Wait Times for Embassy/Consulate
---
| Interview Required Students/Exchange Visitors (F, M, J) | -- days |
| Interview Required Petition-Based Temporary Workers (H, L, O, P, Q) | -- days |
| Interview Required Crew & Transit (C, D, C1/D) | -- days |
| Interview Required Visitors (B1/B2) | -- days |
| Interview Waiver Students/Exchange Visitors (F, M, J) | -- days |
| Interview Waiver Petition-Based Temporary Workers (H, L, O, P, Q) | -- days |
| Interview Waiver Crew and Transit (C, D, C1/D) | -- days |
| Interview Waiver Visitors (B1/B2) | -- days |
See details on appointment availability and processing times
You must provide the receipt number printed on your approved Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, khung I-129, or Notice of Action, size I-797, lớn schedule an interview.
Prepare for Your Interview
Fees - Pay the non-refundable visa application fee,if you are required khổng lồ pay it before your interview. When your visa is approved, you may also pay a visa issuance fee, if applicable khổng lồ your nationality. Fee information is provided below:
Application Fee
$205
Select your nationality to lớn see your Issuance Fee
All Fees
Gather Required Documentation
Prepare the following required documents before your visa interview:
Application fee payment receipt, if you are required to lớn pay before your interviewReceipt Numberfor your approved petition as it appears on your Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, khung I-129, or Notice of Action, khung I-797, from USCIS.Additional Documentation May Be RequiredReview the instructions for how to apply for a visa on the website of theembassy or consulatewhere you will apply. Additional documents may be requested to establish your eligibility.
Attend Your Visa Interview
During your visa interview, a consular officer will determine whether you are eligible khổng lồ receive a visa, & if so, which visa category is appropriate based on your purpose of travel. You will need lớn establish that you meet the requirements under U.S. Law for the category of visa for which you are applying.
Ink-free, digital fingerprint scans will be taken as part of your application process. They are usually taken during your interview, but this varies based on location.
After your visa interview, your application may require furtheradministrative processing. The consular officer will inform you if further processing is necessary.
When the visa is approved, you may pay a visa issuance fee if applicable to your nationality và will be informed how your passport with visa will be returned khổng lồ you. Review thevisa processing time, khổng lồ learn how soon your passportwill generally be ready for pick-up or delivery by the courier.
Additional Information
Petition approval by USCIS does not guarantee visa issuance. Bởi not make final travel plans or buy tickets until you have a visa.Unless canceled or revoked, a visa is valid until its expiration date. Therefore, a valid U.S. Visa in an expired passport is still valid. If you have a valid visa in your expired passport, do not remove it. You may use that visa in your expired passport along with a new valid passport for travel and admission to the United States.Spouse & Children-Your spouse and unmarried children under age 21 may apply for R-2 visas to accompany or join you. You must demonstrate that you are able to financially support them in the United States.They are permitted lớn study while in the United States but are not authorized for employment.
ALL / ALL / Visa Denial & Ineligibility
Review
Visa Denialsfor detailed information about visa ineligibilities, denials, and waivers.
ALL / ALL / Visa Renewal
Whether you are applying for the first time or renewing your visa, you will use the same application process (please review
How to Apply, above).Some applicants seeking lớn renew their visas in certain visa classes may be eligible for interview waiver which allows eligible individuals lớn apply for visa renewals without being interviewed in person by a consular officer. Review the instructions on the trang web of the
U.S. Embassy or Consulatewhere you will apply lớn determine if interview waiver is available và if you are eligible.
ALL / ALL / I was refused a visa under section 214(b). May I reapply?
Yes, if you feel circumstances have changed regarding your application. Review
Visa Denialsto learn more.
Xem thêm: Mẫu giấy xác nhận lương & sao kê lương làm visa, sao kê lương là gì
ALL / ALL / Misrepresentation or Fraud
Attempting to obtain a visa by the willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or fraud, may result in the permanent refusal of a visa application or denial of entry into the United States.
Review
Ineligibilities và Waivers: Laws.
ALL / ALL / Citizens of Canada và Bermuda
While citizens of Canada and Bermuda vì not require visas to lớn enter the United States as temporary religious workers; a temporary worker petition approved by USCIS is required. For more information, see
U.S. Embassy Ottawa website,U.S. Consulate Hamilton website, and
CBP website.
Additional resources for Canadian temporary religious workers can be found on the
U.S. Embassy và consulate websites in Canada.
ALL / ALL / Further Questions
More Information
A-Z Index
Lost/Stolen Travel Documents
Denials
Temporary Workers-USCISFraud Warning
Border Security/Safety
Visa Expiration Date
Automatic Revalidation
Nonimmigrants in the United States–Applying for Visas in Canada or Mexico
Visa Applicants - State Sponsors of Terrorism
Find a U.S. Embassy or Consulate
Customer Service Statement
FAQs: About Visas - The Basics
FAQs: DS-160
×
External Link
You are about lớn leave travel.state.gov for an external trang web that is not maintained by the U.S. Department of State.
Links to external websites are provided as a convenience và should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of State of the views or products contained therein. If you wish to lớn remain on travel.state.gov, click the "cancel" message.
You are about to visit:
Cancel GO
Travel.State.Gov
Popular Links
Stay Connected
Legal Resources
R visas are a type of short-term work visas available to people who’ve been offered jobs as religious workers in the United States.
visatot.com was born in 1971 as a quảng cáo online of self-help legal books. Guided by the motto “law for all,” our attorney authors & editors have been explaining the law lớn everyday people ever since. Learn more about our history và our editorial standards.
Each article that we publish has been written or reviewed by one of our editors, who together have over 100 years of experience practicing law. We strive to lớn keep our information current as laws change. Learn more about our editorial standards.
R visas are a type of short-term, nonimmigrant work visa available khổng lồ people who have been offered jobs as religious workers in the United States. (This comes from the federal Immigration and Nationality Act at I.N.A. § 101(a)(15)(R), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(R) & the Code of Federal Regulations at 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(r).)
There is no annual limit on the number of people who can receive R visas.
Here, we"ll describe the R visa"s:
main features & limitationseligibility criteriaissues concerning who is not eligible, andbasic steps in applying for an R visa.Key Features of the R Visa
Some of the advantages & disadvantages of the R visa include:
The religious worker can work legally in the U.S. For the R sponsor (the employer that files a visa petition with the U.S. Immigration authorities). An R-1 worker who wants to change jobs, however, must get a new visa.After the first R visa an employer applies for (which requires a site visit, often resulting in long waits) R visas can be issued reasonably quickly.R visas will be granted initially for up lớn 30 months, with extensions up khổng lồ a maximum total of five years. Time spent outside the U.S. Does not count toward the maximum U.S. Stay (per a USCIS policy announced in March of 2012), provided the R-1 worker can prove the length of the absence.The R visa holder may travel in and out of the U.S. Or stay continuously for as long as your R visa stamp và status are valid.A spouse & unmarried children under age 21 can be granted R-2 visas to lớn accompany the primary visa holder, but they may not accept employment in the United States.Qualification Criteria for an R-1 Visa
An R-1 visa is available to lớn a person who has been a member of a legitimate religious denomination for at least two years và has a job offer in the U.S. Lớn work for an affiliate of that same religious organization. The work must be for at least trăng tròn hours per week.
R-1 visas may be issued both khổng lồ members of the clergy và to lay religious workers. The initial stay can be up lớn 30 months, and the maximum stay is five years.
The criteria for qualifying are, for the most part, the same as those for religious workers applying for special immigrant green cards (lawful permanent residence). For example, in both cases, minister is defined as a person authorized by a recognized religious denomination khổng lồ conduct religious activities. The term covers not only ministers, priests, và rabbis, but also salaried Buddhist monks, commissioned officers of the Salvation Army, practitioners and nurses of the Christian Science Church, và ordained deacons. The applicant will probably be expected to prove formal recognition from the religious organization in question, such as a license, certificate of ordination, or other qualification lớn conduct religious worship.
The subcategory of "other religious workers" covers people who are in a "religious vocation" or "religious occupation" & are authorized và qualified to lớn perform normal religious duties, but are not considered part of the clergy. This includes anyone performing a traditional religious function, such as liturgical workers, religious instructors, religious counselors, cantors, catechists, workers in religious hospitals or religious health care facilities, missionaries, religious translators, or religious broadcasters. It does not cover workers involved in purely nonreligious functions such as janitors, maintenance workers, clerical staff, fundraisers, or even singers. It also does not cover volunteers.
However, there is one major difference from the green card qualification criteria. It is not necessary that R-1 visa workers were actually employed by the religious organization (either abroad or in the U.S.) before getting the visa. They need only lớn have been members of that organization for two years.
In most cases, people who qualify for R-1 visas also qualify for green cards as special immigrants và might prefer khổng lồ apply directly for a green card.
Who Doesn"t Qualify for an R Visa
The R visa for religious workers is, unfortunately, intended solely for people doing work directly connected lớn the church or religious organization"s vi xử lý core spiritual activities. The job itself further must be religious (not secular) in nature, such as a minister, choir director, or monk. For example, despite the fact that the organization might need an event manager for a fundraiser, or a janitor, such duties are mostly administrative in nature, which would not qualify the worker for an R visa.
The R visa also is not available for volunteers; the person must be doing paid work.
R-2 Visas: Accompanying Relatives of R-1 Visa Holders
Spouses & unmarried children under age 21 of R-1 visa holders can get R-2 visas, which they can apply for at the same time or after the main applicant. They will need to lớn provide birth or marriage certificates khổng lồ prove the family relationship, and will need to show that they don"t personally fall into any ground of inadmissibility. The R-2 allows them lớn stay in the United States, but not to accept employment.
You"re Interested in a R Visa: What"s Next?
For details about what khổng lồ expect và do during the R visa application process, see U.S. Immigration Made Easy, by Ilona Bray (visatot.com).
You might also wish khổng lồ consult an experienced immigration attorney for a full personal analysis of your eligibility, & for help with the application process. Look in particular for an attorney with expertise in business immigration law (even immigration law has many subspecialties within it).
