(RNS) — On Tuesday (April 8), members of Congress introduced a rare bipartisan piece of immigration reform legislation aimed at clearing a backlog in visas for religious workers. The Religious Workforce Protection Act has substantial support from a variety of religious leaders, including Catholics, evangelical Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Episcopalians.
“We would not be able to serve our diverse flocks, which reflect the rich tapestry of our society overall, without the faithful men and women who come to serve through the Religious Worker Visa Program,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Mark Seitz, the USCCB migration committee chair, wrote to Congress on Thursday in support of the bill.
“Simply put, an increasing number of American families will be unable to practice the basic tenets of their faith if this situation is not addressed soon,” wrote Broglio, of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, and Seitz, of El Paso, Texas.
Typically, foreign religious workers and clergy come to the U.S. with an R-1 visa, which permits them to stay for up to five years. After that, they can apply for an EB-4 visa, which leads to a green card and legal permanent residency.
But the EB-4 visa category has an annual cap and is shared by other types …