In an interim final rule published on 16 January, the US Department of Homeland Security scrapped the requirement that R-1 religious workers must spend 12 months outside the United States before re-applying after exhausting their five-year stay limit. The change is poised to help India’s sizeable pool of priests, imams and missionary staff who cycle in and out of US congregations.
Under the old rule, Indian temples and gurudwaras often faced staffing gaps when clergy had to wait a full year offshore before renewing status. Many filled the void with short-term visitor visas—legally risky—or sponsored new recruits at significant cost. The revised regulation allows employers to file a fresh I-129 petition up to six months before the worker’s departure, enabling near-seamless re-entry once a new visa is stamped.
![US Drops One-Year Cooling-Off Rule for Returning R-1 Religious Workers, Benefiting Indian Clergy]()
For administrators tasked with turning these procedural gains into real-world itineraries, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the legwork. Using its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the firm coordinates R-1 visa appointment bookings, document verification and passport logistics, while automated reminders flag when clergy approach the five-year ceiling—helping congregations file new petitions within the six-month pre-departure window.
Religious organisations welcomed the decision, noting that India supplies more than a quarter of R-1 petitions worldwide. Immigration attorneys say the rule will also reduce pressure on the EB-4 green-card category, which has multiyear backlogs for Indian applicants. Workers can now rotate in R-1 status indefinitely, provided each stint does not exceed the cumulative five-year limit without an intervening green-card approval.
For mobility programmes, the takeaway is that R-1 clergy can be scheduled for US service with far greater predictability. Sponsoring institutions should still budget for consular appointments in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata, but the extended out-of-country hiatus is gone—cutting payroll discontinuity and immigration-related travel costs.
Under the old rule, Indian temples and gurudwaras often faced staffing gaps when clergy had to wait a full year offshore before renewing status. Many filled the void with short-term visitor visas—legally risky—or sponsored new recruits at significant cost. The revised regulation allows employers to file a fresh I-129 petition up to six months before the worker’s departure, enabling near-seamless re-entry once a new visa is stamped.
For administrators tasked with turning these procedural gains into real-world itineraries, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the legwork. Using its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the firm coordinates R-1 visa appointment bookings, document verification and passport logistics, while automated reminders flag when clergy approach the five-year ceiling—helping congregations file new petitions within the six-month pre-departure window.
Religious organisations welcomed the decision, noting that India supplies more than a quarter of R-1 petitions worldwide. Immigration attorneys say the rule will also reduce pressure on the EB-4 green-card category, which has multiyear backlogs for Indian applicants. Workers can now rotate in R-1 status indefinitely, provided each stint does not exceed the cumulative five-year limit without an intervening green-card approval.
For mobility programmes, the takeaway is that R-1 clergy can be scheduled for US service with far greater predictability. Sponsoring institutions should still budget for consular appointments in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata, but the extended out-of-country hiatus is gone—cutting payroll discontinuity and immigration-related travel costs.
