Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for your help.
I am not in the US. I have been hired by a religious organization in the states. I reside in Europe.
I was told that I would have to apply first for a temporary religious worker visa before applying for an immigrant worker visa? Is this true? Does the immigrant worker visa application take longer to process or are they both the same?
Thanks again.
The non-immigrant visa is faster. The immigrant worker visa is in the employment based 4th preference and requires that a priority date is "current" on the visa bulletin before an Immigrant visa may be applied for either abroad at a Consulate or via a form I-485 with USCIS while in the U.S. in a legal nonimmigrant status. The "Special Immigrant Religious Worker" greencard provision will sunset on the date indicated in the statute. To get the greencard, you have to have verifiable work experience and the R-1 is the best source of that experience..... Don't come as religious worker and work at Burger King or as a house painter or at a car wash or as a custodian/janitor at the Church or as an Administrator at the Church or anything that is NOT as required for the Immigrant Classification. Many have done just that and THEY are the source of the trouble for these visa categories.
(The sunset date has been renewed over and over again over the years. This category has been abused and has an extremely large percentage of fraud so, the application process and investigations of petitioners and beneficiaries has been beefed up immensely. IF Congress is satisfied that the fraud prevention measures have been successful, it may renew it again or even make it permanent?) DHS would rather that Congress repeal this category.
INA 101 DEFINITIONS
(a) As used in this Act-
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(15) The term "immigrant" means every alien except an alien who is within one of the following classes of nonimmigrant aliens
(R) an alien, and the spouse and children of the alien if accompanying or following to join the alien, who-
(i) for the 2 years immediately preceding the time of application for admission, has been a member of a religious denomination having a bona fide nonprofit, religious organization in the United States; and
(ii) seeks to enter the United States for a period not to exceed 5 years to perform the work described in subclause (I), (II), or (III) of paragraph (27)(C)(ii); 4aa/
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(27) The term "special immigrant" means-
(C) an immigrant, and the immigrant's spouse and children if accompanying or following to join the immigrant, who-
(i) for at least 2 years immediately preceding the time of application for admission, has been a member of a religious denomination having a bona fide nonprofit, religious organization in the United States;
(ii) seeks to enter the United States-
(I) solely for the purpose of carrying on the vocation of a minister of that religious denomination,
(II) before September 30, 2012, 25/ 4bbb/ 4b/ 4bb/ in order to work for the organization at the request of the organization in a professional capacity in a religious vocation or occupation, or
(III) before September 30, 2112, 25/ 4bbb/ 4b/ 4bb/ in order to work for the organization (or for a bona fide organization which is affiliated with the religious denomination and is exempt from taxation as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) at the request of the organization in a religious vocation or occupation; and
(iii) has been carrying on such vocation, professional work, or other work continuously for at least the 2-year period described in clause (I); 