Key Takeaways
• The Religious Workforce Protection Act was introduced on April 7, 2025, to address visa backlogs affecting religious workers.
• The bill allows religious workers on R-1 visas to remain in the U.S. while green card applications are pending.
• If passed, the act provides flexibility and prevents the removal of foreign-born priests and leaders serving faith communities.
Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have made a strong call for Congress to support a new bill, the Religious Workforce Protection Act. This proposed law, known as RWPA, aims to help foreign-born priests and other religious workers who face long waits and possible removal from the United States 🇺🇸 due to current visa rules and growing backlogs. The letter from Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who leads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chair of the group’s Committee on Migration, explains why this bill is “desperately needed” not only for Catholic priests but also for the future of religious communities across the country.
In today’s immigration system, specific rules exist for religious workers who come to the United States 🇺🇸 to serve in churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples. These people often fill key roles like priests, ministers, nuns, rabbis, and imams, especially in areas where local workers are in short supply. They come on temporary visas known as R-1, but the path to permanent residence—the right to live and work in the country long-term—is blocked by long waiting lines and strict rules. This situation is more serious than ever because of recent changes and a growing backlog in available visas, affecting the daily life and service in many faith communities.
Background and Reasons for the Religious Workforce Protection Act
The Religious Workforce Protection Act was introduced on April 7, 2025, by Senators Tim Kaine, Susan Collins, and Jim Risch, and by Representatives Mike Carey and Richard Neal in the U.S. House. Unlike many bills, it has support from both major political parties. The goal is to fix several problems facing religious workers in the United States 🇺🇸, especially those who have already started the process to gain permanent residency through the EB-4 visa category—a group meant for special immigrant workers, including religious workers.
Right now, here’s how the process works:
– Foreign-born priests, sisters, and other religious workers can come to the country on a temporary R-1 visa.
– They can stay up to five years on this visa, during which they may apply for permanent status (a green card) under the EB-4 category.
– If their green card application is not approved within the five years—which is common due to a huge backlog—they must leave the United States 🇺🇸 for at least one year before returning, no matter their ongoing service or community needs.
This rule puts many religious workers in a very difficult position. They may have to leave congregations or parishes who need them the most, causing a gap in important religious and social services.
The backlog for EB-4 green cards has grown over the past few years. Not only are there more applicants, but changes made in March 2023 have added even more people to the line. That month, the government decided to move applicants from Guatemala 🇬🇹, Honduras 🇭🇳, and El Salvador 🇸🇻—who had been part of a separate system—into the same waiting line as religious workers. As a result, the waiting time for a green card has grown to well over ten years. For someone applying today, the wait could even be longer.
What the Religious Workforce Protection Act Proposes
The Religious Workforce Protection Act is designed to solve some of the main issues caused by these rules and backlogs. The act sets out to offer:
– Permission for religious workers who already have R-1 status and are waiting on a green card decision to stay in the U.S., even after their five-year visa limit is up.
– Power for the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to extend the R-1 visa beyond five years while a green card application is being reviewed. This would stop people from being forced to leave their work, families, or community links due to simple paperwork delays.
– Some job flexibility, so priests or religious workers who get promoted or move to a new parish do not have to start their green card process all over again. This change is important because many churches and agencies ask skilled staff to take on new roles, and having to restart the whole process discourages progress.
These parts of the bill are meant to ensure that religious workers who have committed to serving in the United States 🇺🇸 and have begun the lengthy process for permanent residency can continue their mission without being forced out by circumstances beyond their control.
Why Reform Is “Desperately Needed”
According to Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the current system simply does not work for the real needs of America’s faith communities. The main problems include:
– Priests and others who serve on R-1 visas are faced with the strong possibility of having to leave the country due to visa time rules—often just as their application for permanent residency is stuck in growing lines.
– Parishes and dioceses, especially those in farming towns or less populated places, may have to go months or years without regular priestly service. In some cases, Mass and the sacraments—cornerstones of Catholic and other Christian worship—would be offered only rarely, hurting the spiritual and social fabric of these communities.
– Areas with many newcomers from other countries would lose valued workers who have language skills and understanding of specific cultures. That means Catholic churches serving large populations who speak Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or other languages could lose people who help them connect, teach, and provide comfort.
– Beyond Catholic parishes, many other faith groups rely on similar visa programs to bring rabbis, imams, ministers, monks, and faith-based social workers. The effects of long waits and forced departures would hit every corner of the religious landscape.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ letter plainly states, “We would not be able to serve our diverse flocks, which reflect the rich tapestry of our society overall, without the faithful men and women who come to serve through the Religious Worker Visa Program.”
The Human Cost: What’s at Stake for Communities
The loss of foreign-born priests, nuns, and religious leaders is not just a problem for those individuals. It can disrupt the lives of people who rely on them for more than just religious services. Many religious workers also help feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and run schools and clinics. If these workers are forced to leave suddenly, entire communities—especially those in need—suffer.
For immigrant families, having leaders who speak their language and understand their customs can make all the difference. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has argued that to remove these trusted leaders because of visa delays does harm not only to individuals, but also “the free exercise of religion in our country for the benefit of all Americans.”
Support Across Faiths and Political Lines
It’s not just the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who are making this case. Leaders from many faiths, including evangelical Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu communities, have joined in calling for Congress to pass the Religious Workforce Protection Act. They see the problem as bigger than just Catholic or Christian interests; it’s about protecting the right of all Americans to practice their faith, find congregations to join, and receive help during hard times.
This broad support is important in Washington, D.C., where many laws are debated along political lines. Having Republicans and Democrats work together on this bill shows that the stakes are clear. When religious workers are removed or forced to leave, nobody wins—least of all the Americans who depend on their help day after day.
Understanding the Technical Terms
Some words in the discussion may not be familiar to everyone, so here’s a short guide:
– R-1 visa: A short-term visa that lets religious workers from other countries come to the United States 🇺🇸 for up to five years to serve at a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple.
– EB-4 category: A green card path (leading to permanent residency) for workers who fill “special” jobs, including religious workers like priests and nuns.
– Permanent residency: The right to live, work, and stay long-term in the United States 🇺🇸, given through a document often called a “green card.”
– Visa backlog: When more people apply for visas than there are spots, long lines form, resulting in very long waiting times.
The Legal and Policy Debate
The Religious Workforce Protection Act is an answer to a mix of legal limits and policy changes that have slowly made the situation harder for many religious workers. For a long time, the R-1 visa was enough for the needs of churches and faith groups needing extra help. As more people applied and as rules tightened, though, it became clear that without more protection, willing workers would be pushed out by red tape.
Policy changes in March 2023, such as moving more immigrants into the same green card line, made the situation worse almost overnight. Rather than helping only a handful of groups, the backlog meant that nearly every applicant would be waiting many years. According to analysis from VisaVerge.com, allowing applicants to stay and serve until their green card is reviewed is both simple and fair, especially for the many Americans whose spiritual and social lives depend on regular parish life.
The bill would grant the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration, the flexibility to update visa rules as needed until decisions are made. This idea is not new, as other employment categories sometimes already get similar extensions. However, the bill is careful to limit the extensions to avoid abuse, sticking only to those with a real pending green card case and an ongoing need in their community.
The Broader Impact: What Could Change if the Bill Passes
Passing the Religious Workforce Protection Act would bring many practical benefits:
- Religious workers now caught in visa limbo could stay with their communities. This means less worry over leaving families, work, or volunteer efforts unfinished.
- Churches, parishes, synagogues, mosques, and temples could hold services without unplanned gaps, especially in small towns and isolated places.
- Skilled religious leaders could take on new roles—such as becoming a pastor or director in a new parish—without losing all the time spent waiting for a green card.
- Language and cultural skills would be preserved, helping immigrant groups feel at home, valued, and supported.
For many Americans, even those who aren’t religious themselves, these workers are a vital part of what makes their towns and neighborhoods special. Without them, everything from English classes to food banks could be affected.
Making a Choice for Community and Continuity
The letter from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops makes it clear—it’s time to choose. Should the United States 🇺🇸 support those who give so much to local communities, in ways both seen and unseen? Or should legal technicalities take away some of the strongest hands helping keep parishes open, schools running, and charities serving?
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio and other faith leaders believe that, by passing the Religious Workforce Protection Act, lawmakers can protect both the workers and the Americans who depend on them. As the bishops say, “the faithful men and women who come to serve through the Religious Worker Visa Program” hold together “the rich tapestry of our society.” Losing their contributions, due only to backlogs and processing times, would be a loss for everyone.
What’s Next, and How to Learn More
The Religious Workforce Protection Act moves now to Congress, where lawmakers must debate and decide. With support from leaders across politics and faiths, many hope the bill will move quickly. If you want to see the bill’s progress or check current rules about the R-1 visa, you can read more on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official page.
Religious communities, legal experts, and families are watching closely to see what Congress will do. For now, the question remains: Will the United States 🇺🇸 choose to keep open the doors for those who serve in faith, or close them due to rules that no longer fit our country’s needs?
By creating space for foreign-born priests, nuns, and religious leaders to stay, the Religious Workforce Protection Act promises not only fair treatment for workers, but hope and stability for the Americans who count on them every single day.
Learn Today
R-1 visa → A temporary U.S. visa allowing foreign religious workers to serve in churches, synagogues, or temples for up to five years.
EB-4 category → A green card path for special immigrants, including religious workers seeking permanent residency in the United States.
USCIS → U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; the agency that manages lawful immigration, including visas and green cards.
Visa backlog → A situation where the demand for visas exceeds supply, resulting in long wait times for applicants.
Permanent residency → Legal status allowing one to live and work permanently in the U.S., usually obtained through a green card.
This Article in a Nutshell
Foreign-born priests and religious leaders face long waits and possible removal due to U.S. visa backlogs. The new Religious Workforce Protection Act aims to fix these challenges, permitting workers on R-1 visas to stay while their green card applications are pending—ensuring crucial support for faith communities and American society.
— By VisaVerge.com
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