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R1 religious worker Visa :- The R1 classification applies to an alien coming to the US as a religious worker. Eligibility criteria :
(* A religious denomination is a religious group having some form of ecclesiastical government, a common belief or statement of faith, some form of worship, a set of religious guidelines, religious services and ceremonies, established places of worship, religious congregations or comparable evidence of a bona fide religious organization.) Procedure : If the applicant is in the US and desires to change from one non-immigrant category to R1 category, the religious organization would petition using Form I-129 for change of status (Note : Form I-129 is also used to apply for extension of stay in R1 status). The supporting documents required would be :
Filing fee payable is $ 190. Optional payment of $1000 Premium Processing Fee maybe made for expedited processing of the petition. In this case the petition will be decided in 2 weeks. In the normal course (i.e. without payment of premium processing fee) the petition may take upto 4 months to process. An applicant outside the US or in the US under a visa waiver program may apply to a US consulate for the R1 visa. Dependents (i.e. spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age) of R-1 visa holders are classified as R-2. Such dependents are not permitted to accept employment in the US though they may study while in the US. |
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