US SB1298

Allows R-visa religious workers to extend their nonimmigrant status beyond the current 5-year limit while waiting for their immigrant visa or adjustment of status application to be processed

Eligibility requires the worker to be a principal or derivative beneficiary of an immigrant petition for special immigrant religious worker status and otherwise qualified except for numerical visa caps

Grants limited job flexibility to religious workers with pending permanent residence applications by amending Section 204(j) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

Exempts religious workers who previously left the U.S. due to the 5-year R-visa limitation from the 1-year foreign residence requirement when seeking to return

Introduced April 3, 2025 by Senators Kaine, Collins, and Risch; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary