Through Religious Occupation
Religious Workers
Religious workers are
divided into three subcategories: ministers, professionals and
workers in a religious occupation or vocation. Ministers
are people authorized by the religion to conduct worship services
and perform other functions. It does not include lay persons
who participate in services but are not authorized to perform
the duties of a minister. A professional religious position
is one for which the minimum requirement is a baccalaureate
degree. A religious occupation is where one traditionally part
of the work of the denomination. It does not include support
staff such as clerks or maintenance workers. Typical examples
would be missionaries, counselors and liturgical workers. A
religious vocation is a calling to the religious life with a
demonstrable commitment to that life such as taking vows. Typical
in this category would be monks and nuns.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible in the
religious worker category, you must:
-
have been a member
of a bona fide non-profit religious denomination for at
least two years prior to filing Form I-360;
-
have been working
continuously as a religious minister in a religious vocation
or in a religious occupation (either professional or non-professional
capacity) for the past two years immediately prior to filing
the immigrant petition. This work may be done either in
or out of the US . In most cases where the work is done
in the US , the person has been in the US on an R-1 visa,
the nonimmigrant visa given to religious workers;
-
seek to enter the
United States solely to carry out such religious occupation
of the employer's denomination.
Petition
Each petition for a religious
worker must be filed on Form I-360. It must also be accompanied
by:
-
evidence that the
organization qualifies as a nonprofit religious organization
in the form of an Internal Revenue Service tax-exempt
documentation;
-
letter from an
authorized official of the religious organization in the
United States establishing membership for at least two (2)
years in the religious denomination and two years
experience as a minister, professional or worker in a religious
occupation or vocation immediately preceding the filing
of the petition;
-
letter that certifies
the individual is authorized to perform the duties of a
minister, or is qualified in the religious occupation or
vocation.
