DHS rule aims to shorten visa wait times for religious workers serving U.S. congregations

The Department of Homeland Security announced a rule removing a prior one-year outside-the-U.S. requirement for R-1 religious workers after their five-year limit, allowing them to depart and apply to re-enter immediately.

Department of Homeland Security officials announced a regulatory change intended to shorten visa wait times abroad for religious workers who serve U.S. congregations. The rule focuses on holders of temporary R-1 religious worker visas. Under the change, R-1 holders who reach the five-year visa maximum will still need to depart the United States but can apply to re-enter right away. The measure responds to longer processing times that began after a 2023 change in how certain green-card applicants were queued. Key details: - DHS announced the regulatory change to reduce visa wait times for religious workers such as pastors, priests, nuns, imams and rabbis. - The rule removes the prior requirement that R-1 visa holders remain outside the U.S. for one year after reaching a five-year maximum; they will still need to depart but may apply to re-enter immediately. - R-1 visas are temporary permits used by congregations while clergy pursue permanent residency under the EB-4 green-card category. - A March 2023 State Department change that added Special Immigrant Juvenile applicants to the general green-card queue increased backlogs and lengthened waits for some religious workers. - The Catholic Diocese of Paterson and several priests sued DHS and related agencies in 2024; that lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed in fall 2025 to allow for agency action and rulemaking. - In spring 2025, lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill proposing a similar fix to allow visa extensions while green-card applications are pending. Summary: The change is intended to reduce disruptions for U.S. faith communities that rely on foreign-born clergy by easing a timing constraint for R-1 visa holders and responds to backlogs created after a 2023 processing change. Implementation details and the effective timeline were not specified. Undetermined at this time.