S1298Referred to Committee

Religious Workforce Protection Act

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2025-04-03
Introduced
7
Cosponsors
S
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine
Democrat · VA · Senator
Votes with party: 77.0% (879 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/K000384

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (7)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

2025-04-03

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Plain-English Summary

Religious Workforce Protection Act This bill allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend the nonimmigrant visa status of certain religious workers. Under current law, if specified conditions are met, nonimmigrant religious workers may receive a visa for a period not to exceed five years. The bill allows DHS to grant an extension until the individual’s application for adjustment of status to permanent resident or an immigrant visa has been processed and a decision has been made. To be eligible for the extension, the individual must be (1) the beneficiary of a certain type of immigrant petition, and (2) eligible for such immigrant status absent the application of certain numerical limitations. Such individuals who have pending adjustment of status applications are also granted certain job flexibilities, such as the ability to change employers. Individuals who have previously departed the U.S. due to the expiration of their visa are exempt from the one-year foreign residence requirement to renew their visa.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

Subjects

Immigration

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 1298 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1298 To authorize the continuation of lawful nonimmigrant status for certain religious workers affected by the backlog for religious worker immigrant visas. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 3, 2025 Mr. Kaine (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Risch) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To authorize the continuation of lawful nonimmigrant status for certain religious workers affected by the backlog for religious worker immigrant visas. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Religious Workforce Protection Act''. SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF NONIMMIGRANT STATUS FOR RELIGIOUS WORKERS CAUGHT IN LONG BACKLOGS FOR LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENCE. (a) In General.--Section 214(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(a)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(C) Notwithstanding section 101(a)(15)(R)(ii), an alien may apply for, and the Secretary of Homeland Security may grant, an extension of nonimmigrant status under section 101(a)(15)(R) until such alien's application for adjustment of status or an immigrant visa has been processed and a decision has been made on such application if the alien-- ``(i) is the principal or derivative beneficiary of an immigrant petition filed pursuant to section 204(a) for a preference status under section 203(b)(4); and ``(ii) is eligible to be granted such immigrant status absent the application of the numerical limitations under sections 201, 202, and 203.''. (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 101(a)(15)(R)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(R)(ii)) is amended by inserting ``, except as provided in section 214(a)(2)(C),'' after ``5 years''. SEC. 3. LIMITED JOB FLEXIBILITY FOR CERTAIN RELIGIOUS WORKERS WITH LONG-DELAYED APPLICATIONS FOR LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENCE. Section 204(j) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(j)) is amended by striking ``subsection (a)(1)(D)'' and inserting ``subsection (a)(1)(F) or subsection (a)(1)(G)(i) (with respect to special immigrants described in section 101(a)(27)(C))''. SEC. 4. EXEMPTION TO 1-YEAR FOREIGN RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN NONIMMIGRANT RELIGIOUS WORKERS. An alien described in section 214(a)(2)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as added by section 2(a), who departed from the United States due to the 5-year limitation on nonimmigrant status under section 101(a)(15)(R) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(R)) shall be exempt from the 1-year foreign residence requirement set forth in section 214.2(r)(6) of title 8, Code of Federal Regulations. <all>
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