Urgent Appeal: Support for Foreign-Born Pastors and Christian Workers
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- Please download the PDF letters provided above. These letters are addressed to the President of the United States and the Speaker of the House, respectively.
- Please print the letters. Write your name, sign, and date them.
- Mail the letters to the recipient’s address listed in the upper-left corner of each letter. Sending physical letters is strongly recommended for greater impact.
Background:
Foreign-born pastors and Christian workers are permitted to conduct ministry in the United States with R-1 visa. This visa, however, has a five-year limit and does not allow further extensions. To continue serving beyond this limit, pastors are eligible to apply for permanent residence after two years of service on an R-1 visa. These green card applications fall under the EB-4 category.
Problem:
Due to the open border policy implemented by the previous administration, a significant number of illegal immigrants have entered the US, and some of them have exploited the loophole in the “Special Immigrant Juvenile Status” policy under the EB-4 category to apply for green cards. Additionally, in March 2023, the previous administration made an unfair policy change that added over 100,000 unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the same applicant pool as pastors. However, the annual cap for green cards in the EB-4 category remains unchanged at 10,000. While we understand the humanitarian intent, this shift has created severe challenges for foreign-born pastors. Now, when pastors seek to transition to permanent residence after two years of service, they face a backlog with wait time of eight years at least, while their R-1 visa only allows them to remain in the US for three years at most. This discrepancy has made it practically impossible for any pastor to transition to permanent residence since March 2023.
As a result, these pastors are being forced out of their churches, abandoning their congregations. This has severely disrupted church ministries and the proclamation of the Gospel. Moreover, many of these pastors are forced to choose self-deportation, sometimes to places where they may encounter the threat of persecution. This upheaval has caused devastating disruptions, both to their personal lives and to the faith communities they have faithfully served.
How You Can Help:
We are seeking to raise awareness of this critical issue by encouraging Christians across the nation to advocate for these foreign-born pastors and Christian workers. Here is how you can help: Please download, print, sign, and date the letters addressed to the President of the United States and the Speaker of the House. Send the letters to the addresses provided on the upper-left corner of each letter (physical letters are strongly encouraged). Share this information with other believers and churches. If you are a church leader, please consider sharing this with your congregation.
Over the past two years, the number of impacted foreign-born pastors is in the hundreds or thousands. Behind these individuals are hundreds or thousands of congregations, experiencing the unfair treatment. It is my hope that, through your participation, the voices of these congregations will be amplified. A simple act such as sending these letters could potentially help these churches across the nation. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this matter. May God bless you as you continue to serve our Master faithfully.
Foreign-born pastors and Christian workers are permitted to conduct ministry in the United States with R-1 visa. This visa, however, has a five-year limit and does not allow further extensions. To continue serving beyond this limit, pastors are eligible to apply for permanent residence after two years of service on an R-1 visa. These green card applications fall under the EB-4 category.
Problem:
Due to the open border policy implemented by the previous administration, a significant number of illegal immigrants have entered the US, and some of them have exploited the loophole in the “Special Immigrant Juvenile Status” policy under the EB-4 category to apply for green cards. Additionally, in March 2023, the previous administration made an unfair policy change that added over 100,000 unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the same applicant pool as pastors. However, the annual cap for green cards in the EB-4 category remains unchanged at 10,000. While we understand the humanitarian intent, this shift has created severe challenges for foreign-born pastors. Now, when pastors seek to transition to permanent residence after two years of service, they face a backlog with wait time of eight years at least, while their R-1 visa only allows them to remain in the US for three years at most. This discrepancy has made it practically impossible for any pastor to transition to permanent residence since March 2023.
As a result, these pastors are being forced out of their churches, abandoning their congregations. This has severely disrupted church ministries and the proclamation of the Gospel. Moreover, many of these pastors are forced to choose self-deportation, sometimes to places where they may encounter the threat of persecution. This upheaval has caused devastating disruptions, both to their personal lives and to the faith communities they have faithfully served.
How You Can Help:
We are seeking to raise awareness of this critical issue by encouraging Christians across the nation to advocate for these foreign-born pastors and Christian workers. Here is how you can help: Please download, print, sign, and date the letters addressed to the President of the United States and the Speaker of the House. Send the letters to the addresses provided on the upper-left corner of each letter (physical letters are strongly encouraged). Share this information with other believers and churches. If you are a church leader, please consider sharing this with your congregation.
Over the past two years, the number of impacted foreign-born pastors is in the hundreds or thousands. Behind these individuals are hundreds or thousands of congregations, experiencing the unfair treatment. It is my hope that, through your participation, the voices of these congregations will be amplified. A simple act such as sending these letters could potentially help these churches across the nation. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this matter. May God bless you as you continue to serve our Master faithfully.