I am not affected by this issue however, for the sake of future generations and for the betterment of this country.
I am writing to alert all religious workers to a serious issue for religious workers who wish to become an R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker or a permanent resident of the United States based on employment as a religious worker. Some examples of occupations affected are:
Religious instructors,
Religious translators,
Missionaries,
Religious broadcasters, and
Religious counselors.
Any religious worker who is not employed by a CHURCH can no longer receive an R-1 or Green Card as a religious worker. Please read the ALERT Information Sheet and respond by sending a letter or e-mail to your Congressman and Senators and/or to the members of the Immigration Subcommittees in the House and the Senate.
Immigration Alert
Religious Professionals and Other Religious Workers will not be able to obtain permanent residence in the United States as a Special Immigrant based on their employment by a religious denomination. These categories created especially to meet the needs of religious workers will not exist after September 30, 2003, unless the provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act is extended. Ministers are under a different provision and are not affected.
There are two serious issues:
Issue 1. When September 30, 2003 passes, unless the provision in the statute is extended, it will no longer be possible for a religious worker other than an ordained minister to obtain permanent residence without obtaining Labor Certification (including advertising for the position in the newspaper or an appropriate journal).
Issue 2. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services has recently made an internal decision to deny any petition for a Relgious Worker if the petitioner is not a church. The result is that religious workers being petitioned for by Christian relief organizations, mission organizations, interdenominational organizations, Christian colleges and secondary schools are being denied because they are not churchs. BCIS is acting contrary to their own regulations which state:
8 C.F.R. § 214.2®)(2) (Non-Immigrant R-1 Petitions)
8 C.F.R. § 204.5(m)(2) (Immigrant Petitions)
Religious denomination means a religious group or community of believers having some form of ecclesiastical government, a creed or statement of faith, some form of worship, a formal or informal code of doctrine and discipline, religious services and ceremonies, established places of religious worship, and religious congregations, or comparable indicia of a bona fide religious denomination. For the purposes of this definition, an interdenominational religious organization which is exempt from taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 will be treated as a religious denomination (emphasis added).
Contact information for Members of Congress who are responsible for Immigration legislation is attached.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact one or more of the following:
Your U.S. Senator and/or the U.S. Representative for your district.
Make a copy of your letter and forward it to the Senate and House Subcommittees responsible for Immigration Legislation.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration
U.S. Senate on the Judiciary Subcommittee Immigration
Room SD-323, Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
You may address the letters to one or more of the
Subcommittee Members
Senator Saxby Chambliss, Georgia, Chairman
saxby_chambliss@chambliss.senate.gov
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts
senator@kennedy.senate.gov
Senator Charles E. Grassley, Iowa
grassley.senate.gov./webform.htm
Senator Mike DeWine, Ohio
dewine.senate.gov
Senator Jon Kyl, Arizona
kyl.senate.gov/con_form.htm
Senator Dianne Feinstein, California
feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
Senator Richard J. Durbin, Illinois
dick@durbin.senate.gov
Senator Jeff Sessions, Alabama
senator@sessions.senate.gov
Senator Larry Craig, Idaho
craig.senate.gov/webform.html
Senator John Cornyn, Texas
cornyn.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Senator Patrick Leahy, Vermont
senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Senator Charles E. Schumer, New York
schumer.senate.gov/webform.html
Senator John Edwards, North Carolina
edwards.senate.gov/contact.html
House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration:
108th Congress, Committee on the Judiciary
Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims
B-370B Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Subcommittee Members:
Contact e-mail address for all of the below: www.house.gov/writerep
Mr. John N. Hostettler, Chairman
Mr. Jeff Flake
Mrs. Marsha Blackburn
Mr. Lamar Smith
Mr. Elton Gallegly
Mr. Chris Cannon
Mr. Steve King
Ms. Melissa Hart
Ms. Shelia Jackson Lee
Ms. Linda Sanchez
Ms. Zoe Lofgren
Mr. Howard Berman
Mr. John Conyers
I am writing to alert all religious workers to a serious issue for religious workers who wish to become an R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker or a permanent resident of the United States based on employment as a religious worker. Some examples of occupations affected are:
Religious instructors,
Religious translators,
Missionaries,
Religious broadcasters, and
Religious counselors.
Any religious worker who is not employed by a CHURCH can no longer receive an R-1 or Green Card as a religious worker. Please read the ALERT Information Sheet and respond by sending a letter or e-mail to your Congressman and Senators and/or to the members of the Immigration Subcommittees in the House and the Senate.
Immigration Alert
Religious Professionals and Other Religious Workers will not be able to obtain permanent residence in the United States as a Special Immigrant based on their employment by a religious denomination. These categories created especially to meet the needs of religious workers will not exist after September 30, 2003, unless the provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act is extended. Ministers are under a different provision and are not affected.
There are two serious issues:
Issue 1. When September 30, 2003 passes, unless the provision in the statute is extended, it will no longer be possible for a religious worker other than an ordained minister to obtain permanent residence without obtaining Labor Certification (including advertising for the position in the newspaper or an appropriate journal).
Issue 2. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services has recently made an internal decision to deny any petition for a Relgious Worker if the petitioner is not a church. The result is that religious workers being petitioned for by Christian relief organizations, mission organizations, interdenominational organizations, Christian colleges and secondary schools are being denied because they are not churchs. BCIS is acting contrary to their own regulations which state:
8 C.F.R. § 214.2®)(2) (Non-Immigrant R-1 Petitions)
8 C.F.R. § 204.5(m)(2) (Immigrant Petitions)
Religious denomination means a religious group or community of believers having some form of ecclesiastical government, a creed or statement of faith, some form of worship, a formal or informal code of doctrine and discipline, religious services and ceremonies, established places of religious worship, and religious congregations, or comparable indicia of a bona fide religious denomination. For the purposes of this definition, an interdenominational religious organization which is exempt from taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 will be treated as a religious denomination (emphasis added).
Contact information for Members of Congress who are responsible for Immigration legislation is attached.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact one or more of the following:
Your U.S. Senator and/or the U.S. Representative for your district.
Make a copy of your letter and forward it to the Senate and House Subcommittees responsible for Immigration Legislation.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration
U.S. Senate on the Judiciary Subcommittee Immigration
Room SD-323, Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
You may address the letters to one or more of the
Subcommittee Members
Senator Saxby Chambliss, Georgia, Chairman
saxby_chambliss@chambliss.senate.gov
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts
senator@kennedy.senate.gov
Senator Charles E. Grassley, Iowa
grassley.senate.gov./webform.htm
Senator Mike DeWine, Ohio
dewine.senate.gov
Senator Jon Kyl, Arizona
kyl.senate.gov/con_form.htm
Senator Dianne Feinstein, California
feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
Senator Richard J. Durbin, Illinois
dick@durbin.senate.gov
Senator Jeff Sessions, Alabama
senator@sessions.senate.gov
Senator Larry Craig, Idaho
craig.senate.gov/webform.html
Senator John Cornyn, Texas
cornyn.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Senator Patrick Leahy, Vermont
senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Senator Charles E. Schumer, New York
schumer.senate.gov/webform.html
Senator John Edwards, North Carolina
edwards.senate.gov/contact.html
House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration:
108th Congress, Committee on the Judiciary
Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims
B-370B Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Subcommittee Members:
Contact e-mail address for all of the below: www.house.gov/writerep
Mr. John N. Hostettler, Chairman
Mr. Jeff Flake
Mrs. Marsha Blackburn
Mr. Lamar Smith
Mr. Elton Gallegly
Mr. Chris Cannon
Mr. Steve King
Ms. Melissa Hart
Ms. Shelia Jackson Lee
Ms. Linda Sanchez
Ms. Zoe Lofgren
Mr. Howard Berman
Mr. John Conyers