The petitioning U.S. organization must be:

• Non-Profit: A 501(c)(3) religious organization OR a tax-exempt organization affiliated with a religious denomination. Examples include churches, religious training and missionary institutions (e.g. YWAM, University of the Nations, Circuit Riders, Bethel, Cru, Young Life, Youth For Christ, Navigators, Compassion), as well as convents etc.
• Denominational Membership: Part of a recognized “denomination”. USCIS grants a broad definition of what constitutes a denomination.

The proposed religious worker must be:

• 2-year membership: A member of the petitioning organization (or member of the same religious denomination as the petitioning organization) for at least two years immediately preceding the filing of the petition.

• Petitions: R-1 petitions can be valid for up to 30 months (approx. 2.5 years.) They can be extended for a further 30 months, to a total of five (5) years.
  Note, if an R-1 worker has traveled substantially throughout the prior 5 year period, a further “recapture” petition may be filed, to add on all the full days the R-1 worker was outside the United States, to the maximum statutory period of five (5) years.
• Visas: The validity date of an R-1 visa (i.e. the sticker in a passport), varies in validity. For most nationalities, it matches the R-1 petition. However, for certain nationalities, reciprocity rules apply. For example, citizens of Brazil are limited to a 12-month multiple-entry visa, and citizens of PR China are limited to a 3-month single-entry visa. For up-to-date reciprocity, check here. Citizens of Canada are visa-exempt, and do not require a visa sticker.

A qualifying religious position should be:

• Religious in Nature: The work should clearly be religious. Generally, primarily administrative roles do not qualify, but incidental administrative duties are permitted.
• Paid or Unpaid?: An R-1 Religious Worker can be self-supported (e.g. savings), or compensated (either monetarily, or via in-kind benefits such as room and board).

Yes, an R-1 holder has the ability to sponsor their spouse and/or children under the age of 21 under R-2 status. R-2 holders may study in the United States, but do not have work authorization.

Note, additional fees are required to sponsor R-2 holders via change-of-status in the United States, or to obtain R-2 visas abroad, if applicable.

R-2 holders may accompany in the United States for the duration of the R-1’s employment.

• Legal Fees: As a general guideline our competitive fees for the preparation and filing of an R-1 petition are around $2,500. Additional preparation fees of approx. $400 are applicable for each R-2 dependent (spouse, children).
• Government Filing Fees*: Government filing fees for the R-1 petition are, at the time of writing, $510.00 for standard processing (typically 4-6 months). USCIS also offers an expedited 15-day R-1 processing for an additional $1,685.00.
  Note, if filing within the U.S., additional fees of $470.00 are applicable to each R-2 dependent (spouse, children etc). R-2 dependents are not eligible for expedited processing.
• Visa Issuance Fees: If the worker seeks to enter the United States (either to commence their position, or after temporary foreign travel), all except citizens of Canada will need to obtain a visa sticker in their passport from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. For most nationalities, this is typically $205.00 per sticker, but additional reciprocity fees may be required. You can view the reciprocity fee table here. We’ll let you know if this applies in your situation.
  

* Note: Government filing fees change regularly. For up-to-date fees, verify the USCIS Fee Schedule here.