R-1 Visa Petition Process

Hiring Date

A hire date should be determined (keeping MTD in mind) before submitting the R-1 Visa petition.

Religious Occupation & Job Description

The occupation and Reliant job description from the partner ministry should average at least 20 hours per week and include all religious duties that will be performed. 

Offer Letter

The offer letter from Reliant will be included with the R-1 Visa petition.

Salary Guidelines

Ideally, the goal is for the R-1 Visa applicant to be fully funded with MTD funds before obtaining their R-1 Visa. To help ensure approval, the applicant's salary should be an annual income of at least 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Reliant also desires that the applicant's salary meet the prevailing wage guideline in the location where the R-1 Visa applicant will be living and working. R-1 workers must receive a full salary and cannot be short-checked. 

The R-1 Visa legal and application costs can be charged to the church or ministry partner project fund at Reliant or to the MTD account for which the applicant is responsible. If charged to the MTD account, the individual is responsible for raising funds for Reliant to cover these costs. 

Initial Attorney Consultation Fee: $175

Step 1: Employer's R-1 religious worker visa sponsorship petition filing

• $2,500 Attorney fee (payable as an initial retainer of $1,250, remainder due on completion of filing the R-1 petition)
• Optional $200 Attorney fee, if adding the expedited premium processing request
• $460 USCIS gov't filing fee for R-1 (Increase to $510 on 4/1/2024)
• $1,685 USCIS gov't filing fee for the OPTIONAL expedited premium processing (about two weeks response time)
• Reimbursable Costs for copies and postage (billed at the end of the process)
• Although the R-1 petition is submitted as thoroughly as possible, in the event of a Request For Evidence (RFE) from the U.S. gov’t, the preparation for RFE response is charged hourly up to $1,500.

OPTIONAL -- Any family's R-2 change of status filing in the U.S: 

• $800 Attorney fee for the primary applicant
• $150 per child, Attorney fee for any children's supplement form
• $470 USCIS gov't filing fee for the primary R-2 applicant (as of 4/1/2024)
• Reimbursable Costs for copies and postage (billed at very end of the process)

Step 2: Religious worker's visa processing with the US Embassy abroad --- for entry to the USA and international travel

• $205 gov't visa application fee (per person)
• $1,000 Attorney fee (optional & per person)
• Reimbursable Costs for copies and postage

The applicant will need to provide the following details to begin the R-1 Visa Petition process:

• Permanent Home Country Address
• Current U.S. Home Address
• Do you have any other Visa, such as a J1/J1 Exchanged Visitor Visa? (if yes, provide a copy and include expiration dates)
• Resume
• Scanned copy of current passport, biographic information, and any US Visa pages*
• Scanned copy of birth certificate*

Other documents needed (if applicable)

• Scanned copy of any certificate of ministerial ordination, commissioning, or licensing*
• Scanned copy of any religious degrees and academic transcripts*
• Scanned copy of any certificate for religious training*
• Scanned copy of the U.S. Social Security Card (front & back)
• Scanned copy of marriage certificate (if necessary)

The Partner Ministry and Reliant will collect the following information:

• Job Description with the ministry focus area (see Sample Job Description.docx and note below)
• Weekly work schedule & proposed weekly work hours (see Sample Weekly Schedule.docx and note below)
• Reliant New Staff Training Certificate of Completion
• Amount & type of compensation (including benefits)

Documents needed from the Partner Ministry

• Name & location of ministry worksite
• Number of church/ministry members or employees
• Date the applicant established a relationship with the church/ministry (2-year minimum relationship required)
• Why the applicant's position is needed
• Letter from church/ministry confirming applicant's church membership and any ministry involvement

*All foreign documents must be translated into English, and the documents in the original language need to be provided, with certified English translation. A notarized translation is not needed; anyone fluent in both languages may translate and provide this certificate of translation. See Sample certificate of translation.docx. 

R-1 Visa holders must wait until 6 months before their R-Visa's expiration date to renew their R-1 visa status. They may begin the R-1 renewal process as early as 7 months before their current R-1 expiration. At that time, if the R-1 Visa holder worked full-time with consistent paid employment for two continuous years, Reliant may also pursue the I-360 religious worker green card sponsorship petition.

The R-1 Visa applicant's spouse and unmarried children under age 21 may apply for R-2 visas to accompany or join them to reside temporarily. The R-1 Visa applicant must demonstrate that they can financially support their family in the United States. The R-1 Visa applicant's family is permitted to study while in the United States but is not authorized to accept employment.