Religious Worker Visa Improvement Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit a consular officer from issuing a nonimmigrant R-visa (for a religious worker and accompanying or joining spouse or child), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting such status, to an alien until DHS has approved a petition filed on the alien's behalf. An eligible petitioner may file a blanket petition, in lieu of individual petitions, on behalf of aliens meeting specified requirements for blanket petition inclusion. DHS may only include in approval of a blanket petition missionary service locations for which DHS has previously conducted a site inspection in connection with an individual petition for a religious worker. A petitioner may file a petition at any time to amend the list of previously authorized missionary service locations.
Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better
Timeline
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Immigration
Foreign laborReligionVisas and passports
A bill to streamline the R-1 religious worker visa petition process.
USA115th CongressS-775| Senate
| Updated: 3/30/2017
Religious Worker Visa Improvement Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit a consular officer from issuing a nonimmigrant R-visa (for a religious worker and accompanying or joining spouse or child), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting such status, to an alien until DHS has approved a petition filed on the alien's behalf. An eligible petitioner may file a blanket petition, in lieu of individual petitions, on behalf of aliens meeting specified requirements for blanket petition inclusion. DHS may only include in approval of a blanket petition missionary service locations for which DHS has previously conducted a site inspection in connection with an individual petition for a religious worker. A petitioner may file a petition at any time to amend the list of previously authorized missionary service locations.