Shift in Green Card Procedure Risks Exodus of Thousands of Foreign Faith Leaders from U.S.

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For over two hours on a recent Sunday, Reverend Gustavo Castillo led his burgeoning Pentecostal congregation in a Minneapolis suburb in worship that encompassed prayer, Scripture readings, spirited music, and emotional testimonials.

However, this spiritual leadership is on the verge of termination due to a sudden modification in the U.S. federal government’s green card processing procedures for foreign religious workers. Coupled with unprecedented levels of illegal border crossings, this change jeopardizes the U.S. residency of thousands of clergymen and women like Castillo.

“Everything was going according to plan for us to become permanent residents, and then suddenly, the situation altered,” said Castillo, a native of Colombia, while his wife cradled their 7-month-old son, an American citizen by birth. “We have followed all rules to the letter; now, our only recourse is divine intervention.”

Traditionally, immigrants could secure permanent residency, a pathway to citizenship, in the U.S. by applying for green cards through American family members or employers. Congress annually sets a quota on these green cards, divided into categories based on familial relationships or employment skill sets.

People from countries with a high volume of immigrants often face longer green card processing queues. Presently, the most delayed category is for the adult, married children of U.S. citizens from Mexico—only applications submitted before March 1998 are currently under consideration.

Until recently, religious workers have typically managed to secure their green cards before their temporary visas expired. However, this changed in March when the State Department revealed that for nearly seven years, it had misallocated tens of thousands of applications from mistreated or abandoned minors from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. These will now join the main queue, where clergy also wait.

This adjustment has resulted in a situation where only applications submitted prior to January 2019 are being processed. This significantly advances the minors but leaves the religious workers stranded, particularly those whose visas are about to expire, like Castillo.

“It’s a complete derailment. They’ve done everything correctly, and now they are suddenly sidelined,” commented Matthew Curtis, a New York City-based immigration attorney. Curtis’ clients, including a Rabbi from Israel and a South African music minister, are running against the clock.

Lawyers estimate that the wait for a green card has now extended to a decade or more due to the sheer number of applicants. Only 10,000 such green cards are issued each year.

This daunting outlook is discouraging religious institutions from hiring foreign nationals at a time when there is a rising demand for leaders who can communicate in languages other than English and who are culturally sensitive.

“The U.S. religious landscape is diverse, and people seek the comfort of practicing their faith in their native languages,” said Olga Rojas, Senior Counsel for Immigration for the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Catholic Church in the U.S. has also increasingly relied on foreign clergy to alleviate a local shortage.

Members of religious orders who have taken vows of poverty, such as Catholic nuns and Buddhist monks, are particularly vulnerable. They are ineligible for most other work visas, which usually require proof of prevailing wages.

Legal experts indicate scant options for these religious workers to continue their ministry in the U.S. They could leave the country and return after one year to apply for another temporary religious worker visa, a costly and cumbersome process that needs to be repeated indefinitely.

Faith leaders and immigration attorneys are calling upon the Biden administration and Congress for policy modifications. One immediate solution could involve segregating the green card applications of vulnerable minors from those of religious workers, to prevent an unintended competition for visas.

While facing the grim prospect of having to leave the U.S., Castillo and his wife are still fundraising to purchase the building where their congregation meets. They are also committed to establishing another church in South Dakota.

“In our line of work, we regularly aid shattered immigrant families,” said Yarleny Castillo. “A sanctuary like ours is vital for them.”

This coverage is supported by Big Big News through its partnership with The Conversation US and is funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. Responsibility for the content lies solely with the AP.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Green Card Processing for Religious Workers

More about Green Card Processing for Religious Workers

• U.S. Department of State Announcement on Green Card Processing Changes
• Analysis of U.S. Immigration Policy
• Historical Trends in U.S. Green Card Allocations
• Report on the Surge of Illegal Border Crossings
• The Impact of Immigration on Religious Communities in the U.S.
• Legal Guidelines for Temporary Religious Worker Visas
• American Immigration Lawyers Association Advocacy Efforts
• Study on Religious Worker Visas and U.S. Immigration Policy
• Congressional Hearings on Immigration Policy Changes
• Evangelical Immigration Table’s Statement on Green Card Queue