Religious Workforce Protection Act
Official title: A bill to authorize the continuation of lawful nonimmigrant status for certain religious workers affected by the backlog for religious worker immigrant visas.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Religious Workforce Protection Act
This bill allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend the nonimmigrant visa status of certain religious workers.
Under current law, if specified conditions are met, nonimmigrant religious workers may receive a visa for a period not to exceed five years. The bill allows DHS to grant an extension until the individual’s application for adjustment of status to permanent resident or an immigrant visa has been processed and a decision has been made. To be eligible for the extension, the individual must be (1) the beneficiary of a certain type of immigrant petition, and (2) eligible for such immigrant status absent the application of certain numerical limitations.
Such individuals who have pending adjustment of status applications are also granted certain job flexibilities, such as the ability to change employers. Individuals who have previously departed the U.S. due to the expiration of their visa are exempt from the one-year foreign residence requirement to renew their visa.
- Introduced in Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE
- NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE
- NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE
- NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE
- NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE
- NETWORK LOBBY FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE
Bodies those filers lobbied
- Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS)
- HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- Labor, Dept of (DOL)
- SENATE
- Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
- White House Office
- State, Dept of (DOS)
- Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1298: Religious Workforce Protection Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1298/
"S. 1298: Religious Workforce Protection Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1298/.
S. 1298, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1298/.
[S. 1298: Religious Workforce Protection Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1298/)