Archbishop Paul Coakley, since November serving as president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States (USCCB), led to an agreement with the government on migration policy. According to the USCCB a fewer days after the archbishop spoke. Coakleya with U.S. president Donald Trump, abroad priests, nuns and another spiritual persons will be able to benefit from visa facilitations. The bishops considered this a truly crucial step and expressed large gratitude.
The fresh rules de facto abolish the yearly waiting period for the extension of the alleged R-1 visa. This visa allows people who want to work for a recognized spiritual community in the United States, to stay for a maximum of 5 years. The amendment of the law introduced by Biden's administration in 2023 made it impossible to extend residence permits seamlessly. Since then, the persons afraid have been forced to leave the United States for at least 1 year before they could apply for a fresh visa.
This caused large discontent in church circles. In 2024, respective Catholic priests and the Diocese of Paterson, fresh Jersey sued the government for “serious violations of freedom of religion”. Thanks to U.S. president Donald Trump's concessions, the dispute has now been settled. In her statement, the USCCB stressed that this could not be appreciated sufficiently. In future, R-1 visa holders will be able to apply for permanent residence permits again without hindrance.
Source: KAI
