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Additional Documentation Requirements for R Visas
 

The applicant must be prepared to present to the consular officer any or all of the following documentation to verify that the applicant and the religious organization qualify for the R status, including:

  • Proof of tax-exempt status or eligibility for tax-exempt status and;
  • A letter from an authorized official of the specific unit of the employing organization certifying:
    • That if the applicant's religious membership was maintained, in whole or in part, outside the United States, the foreign and United States religious organizations belong to the same religious denomination;
    • That, immediately prior to the application for the R visa, the alien has been a member of the religious denomination for the required two- year period.
  • If the applicant is a minister, he or she is authorized to conduct religious worship for that denomination. The duties should be described in detail; or
  • If the applicant is a religious professional, he or she has at least a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, and that such a degree is required for entry into the religious profession; or
  • If the applicant is to work in a nonprofessional vocation or occupation, he or she is qualified if the type of work to be done relates to a traditional religious function;
  • The arrangements for remuneration, including the amount and source of salary, other types of compensation such as food and housing, and any other benefits to which a monetary value may be affixed, and a statement whether such remuneration shall be in exchange for services rendered;
  • The name and location of the specific organizational unit of the religious denomination or affiliate for which the applicant will be providing services;
  • If the alien is to work for an organization that is affiliated with a religious denomination, a description of the nature of the relationship between the two organizations;
  • Evidence of the religious organization's assets and methods of operation; and
  • The organization's papers of incorporation under applicable state law.