Kaine, Collins & Risch Welcome Policy Change to Cut Red Tape for Foreign-Born Religious Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jim Risch (R-ID) welcomed an interim final rule from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which eliminates the arbitrary requirement that forces foreign-born religious workers to leave the United States after five years of service and remain outside the U.S. for at least one year before they can return. Because the permanent residence process for religious workers is heavily backlogged due to no fault of their own, this requirement has meant that religious workers have been forced to abruptly leave their churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations behind for a year or more, disrupting faith communities across the country.

Under the new DHS rule, religious workers who have reached five years of service in the U.S. would still have to leave the U.S. but could return to the U.S. with a new R-1 visa without having to wait a full year - meaning congregations and religious communities who rely on these religious workers will face less disruption.

"Faith communities across America - including my own Parish in Richmond - depend on foreign religious workers and suffer greatly when these dedicated members of their congregations are forced to leave the country due to no fault of their own," said Kaine. "This interim final rule from DHS is a step in the right direction and will reduce hardships to temples, churches, mosques, and other religious communities throughout the U.S. Now it's time for Congress to take the next step and pass the Kaine-Collins-Risch Religious Workforce Protection Act to further streamline the bureaucratic process for foreign-born pastors, priests, rabbis, nuns, imams, and other religious workers to continue their work here in the United States."

"I joined Senators Kaine and Risch in introducing the Religious Workforce Protection Act when I noticed Maine parishes where I attend mass were losing their priests because their R-1 visas expired while their EB-4 applications were still pending. I saw this issue creating a real crisis in our state. We urged the previous administration to fix this issue, but the problem went unaddressed-until today," said Collins. "This decision from the Department of Homeland Security is a significant step in helping religious workers of all faith traditions continue to live and serve here in the United States without disruptions while their applications for permanent residency are being fully processed. We will continue working to pass our legislation to provide full and lasting relief to religious workers and the communities they serve in Maine and across the country."

"Idaho's religious communities and their beloved clergy are central to our right to worship. That's why I proudly introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act," said Risch. "The Trump Administration's action aligns with our efforts to ensure Idaho's religious workers can stay in the U.S. and continue serving their congregations while their visas are processed. I will continue working with Senators Collins and Kaine to pass our legislation and ensure none of Idaho's religious workers face the threat of leaving the communities they love and serve so faithfully."

Kaine and Collins have long advocated legislative and administrative means of making it easier for religious workers already in the U.S. to continue to serve their religious communities. In April 2025, Kaine, Collins, and Risch introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act, which would give the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to extend religious workers' R-1 nonimmigrant status without having to leave the U.S. until they receive a decision on their permanent residence application. In 2021, 2023, and 2024, Kaine and Collins wrote to the secretaries of State and Homeland Security to urge administrative changes that would help keep religious workers and organizations from being left in limbo between the lapse of the workers' R-1 visas and the processing and approval of their permanent residence visas.

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