R-1 Religious worker visa

If you are seeking a temporary United States work visa and your occupation has a religious component to it, you may qualify for the R-1 visa no matter what your personal religious affiliation may be. To have an experienced attorney review your eligibility for the R-1 visa and explain the application process, contact Muston & Jack in San Jose, California, today.

At Muston & Jack, P.C., we help people of all faiths, denominations, and sects, from places all around the world, to obtain temporary work permits through the R-1 visa program. Because our practice is dedicated solely to immigration, we have considerable experience in all of its aspects, including the R-1 visa.

This experience can work to help you avoid unnecessary delays and get you where your help is needed most.

The following information provides a general overview of the R-1 visa:

What is the R-1 Visa?

The R1 visa is a temporary visa that may be obtained by a religious worker who:

Has been a member of a US religious organization for the preceding two years;
Seeks to enter the US for five years or less

The R1 visa is initially valid for three years and may be extended for an additional three years. Positions which qualify for an R1 visa are too numerous to list. Applicants should qualify for the visa as long as there is a religious component to the position.

Ministers and priests may apply for permanent residency (green card).

Spouses and children of the R1 visa holder may obtain an R2 visa to enter and remain in the US. The R2 visa holder may attend school but if he or she wishes to work, he or she must change his or her status to obtain a work visa.

For whom is an R1 Visa appropriate?

Foreign nationals coming to the US to work in a professional religious capacity for a religious group or community

What are the requirements for obtaining an R1 Visa?

An alien who, for at least the two (2) years immediately preceding the time of application for admission, has been a member of a religious denomination having a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the United States, may be admitted temporarily to the United States to carry on the activities of a religious worker for a period not to exceed five (5) years.

The alien must be coming to the United States for one of the following purposes: solely to carry on the vocation of a minister of the religious denomination; to work for the religious organization at the request of the organization in a professional capacity; or to work for the organization, or a bona fide organization which is affiliated with the religious denomination, at the request of the organization in a religious vocation or occupation.

Whether you are a priest, a minister, an Imam, or simply administrative support our attorneys can provide you with the guidance and services you need to obtain an R-1 visa in a timely and cost-effective way. To get started on the process, call or contact our San Jose law office to schedule an initial consultation.