Nonimmigrant Religious Worker is an individual who is not a citizen and is temporarily entering the United States to work, dedicating at least part-time hours (averaging at least 20 hours per week) as a minister or in a religious vocation or occupation. Employment must be with one of the following:

1. Non-profit religious organization in the United States.
2. Religious organization authorized by a group tax exemption holder to utilize its group tax exemption.
3. Non-profit organization affiliated with a religious denomination in the United States.

To be eligible, the individual must have been a member of a religious denomination with a legitimate non-profit religious organization in the United States for a minimum of two years immediately before submitting the petition.

Duration: R-1 status may be initially granted for a period of admission lasting up to 30 months, and subsequent extensions can be approved for an additional 30 months each. The cumulative period of stay in the United States under R-1 classification is limited to a maximum of five years, equivalent to 60 months.

Family Members: An R-1 religious worker’s spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 may be eligible for R-2 classification. An R-2 dependent is not authorized to work based on this visa classification.