This is a nonimmigrant visa that allows a foreign national to perform various religious work in the United States. It’s similar to the H-1B visa, but with minimal requirements and some differences. This visa allows free entry and exit to the United States for a specified period. You can receive wages for your work, which is religious in nature, from a U.S. organization. However, it’s important to remember that you must work at least 20 hours per week. Your family can also travel with you on an R-2 visa, and your children may be eligible to attend U.S. educational institutions.

With an R-2 religious visa, you can stay in the United States for up to five years, after which you can apply for a green card.

You also have the right to change your employer while in the United States. However, your employer must submit Form I-129 to USCIS.

R-1 Visa Worker Requirements

First and foremost, an R visa applicant must be a genuinely religious person. Therefore, there is a mandatory requirement: two years of membership in one of the religious denominations. They must also be one of the following:

• a priest, pastor, rabbi responsible for conducting any rituals or services
• a professional religious worker, essentially one who has an education in the religious field (bachelor’s degree)
• a person with a religious vocation, monks, nuns, spiritual brothers and sisters
• a person who performs a religious activity, such as a church choir soloist, a missionary, a translator, or simply a church worker

The R-1 visa, like all nonimmigrant visas, requires an interview at the U.S. Embassy. This means applicants must prove strong ties to their home country, while the H-1B visa requires dual intent, meaning applicants don’t have to prove much.