R-1 Religious Worker Visa Changes
Today the USCIS published a resource link for the Religious Worker Visa category. https://www.uscis.gov/R1-resources While this particular today's posting did not indicate any new changes to current policy, it did consolidate its rules in this particular visa category, and highlighted one of the most significant changes to the religious worker visa that took place earlier in 2026. USCIS has now highlighted the change in its new R-1 Religious Worker Resources page. The most important development is that, effective January 16, 2026, qualifying R-1 religious workers who reach the five-year maximum period of stay are no longer required to spend one year outside the United States before becoming eligible for another period of R-1 status. For foreign-born priests, ministers, and other religious workers—and for the churches, dioceses, religious orders, temples, mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras, and other religious organizations that employ them—this can be an important change. What ...