R-1 Visas and EB-4 Green Cards in Action: Supporting Religious Organizations through Immigration

Religious organizations come in all shapes and sizes, but they have one thing in common: they serve as a gathering place for people. ImLaw has extensive experience working alongside faith-based organizations to help them secure visas for employees. Specifically, our attorneys are able to assist with the R-1 religious worker visa and special immigrant religious worker green cards.

R-1 religious worker visas allow foreign nationals to work for a nonprofit religious organization in the U.S. in either a religious vocation or occupation. Their work must average at least 20 hours per week. The R-1 work visa requires the foreign national to possess two years of membership in the same religious denomination as the R-1 sponsoring organization.

Employment-based green cards allow foreign nationals to work permanently on a long-term basis in the U.S. There are five categories of employment-based (EB) green cards. The fourth category is for Special Immigrants, which includes permanent religious workers. There are roughly 9,800 available EB-4 green cards each year. 

One of our religious clients is a church based in Missouri. We began working with the organization in 2016. The church hosts weekly services, in addition to an online podcast and numerous community-oriented programs. The ImLaw team worked with the church to obtain approved R-1 work visas and EB-4 green cards for several ministers. “I appreciate the very clear instructions,” our client shared during the process. “You are great at what you do!” ImLaw walked alongside our client every step of the way, from initial analysis of the relevant background facts and applicable legal requirements to preparing and submitting the petitions and supporting documents.

Our latest R-1 work visa case was reviewed and approved by USCIS in less than 2 months. Thanks to our detailed, proactive work on the application, the case did not garner a dreaded Request For Evidence (RFE) and was approved in record time by the agency. Our client shared, “Thank you all for making this a relatively painless process with a quick result! You have all been great to work with.”

Are you interested in pursuing R-1 visa or religious worker green card status? We bring decades of experience, attention to detail, and a high level of personalized service to every case. Contact us to share more about your needs and receive a personal followup from our team.