Policy Guidance on Special Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Religious Workers (R-1)

Policy effect

USCIS updated Volumes 2 and 6 of the Policy Manual regarding Special Immigrant Religious Workers and R-1 nonimmigrants, clarifying third-party compensation structures.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

This update provides reorganized and more detailed information related to special immigrant religious workers. In addition, for both special immigrant and R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker petitions, this update clarifies the circumstances under which certain related petitioners may meet the compensation requirements even if the attesting employer is not the entity that will directly compensate the religious worker. … This guidance, contained in Volumes 2 and 6 of the Policy Manual, is effective immediately and applies prospectively to petitions filed on or after that date. … Clarifies that, in situations where the attesting employer is not the entity that will directly compensate the religious worker, USCIS will review the relationship between the attesting employer and the entity directly compensating the religious worker in the totality of the circumstances to confirm eligibility.

Review method

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite extraction with independent Gemini 3.8 Flash verification

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