Trump's week in review: Announces 'great healthcare plan,' freezes funding to sanctuary cities

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, January 17, 2026

2. DHS unveils new policy to address religious visa backlog

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it has issued an interim final rule to expedite the return of foreign religious workers who were forced to self-deport to their home countries. Many of them will soon be able to return to the U.S.

The rule replaces the previous policy regarding foreign religious workers, which required those in the U.S. on an R-1 visa to return to their home countries for one year after reaching their five-year limit. 

While the new policy still requires R-1 visa holders to return to their home countries when their five-year visa expires, the interim final rule no longer requires a “minimum period of time they must reside and be physically present outside the U.S. before they seek readmission in R-1 status.” R-1 visa holders include priests, rabbis and nuns. 

“Under the leadership of Secretary [Kristi] Noem, DHS is committed to protecting and preserving freedom and expression of religion. We are taking the necessary steps to ensure religious organizations can continue delivering the services that Americans depend on,” said a DHS spokesperson. “Pastors, priests, nuns, and rabbis are essential to the social and moral fabric of this country. We remain committed to finding ways to support and empower these organizations in their critical work.” 

DHS said the backlog in the R-1 visa renewal process that has forced foreign religious workers to return home was due to policies implemented by the Biden administration in 2023, which led to an increase in “the already lengthy wait times for immigrant visas in the EB-4 category for aliens from foreign countries, including for religious workers.”

In contrast to temporary R-1 visas, EB-4 visas allow foreign religious workers to reside in the U.S. permanently. 

Effective immediately, the interim final rule was published in the Federal Register on Friday. The public now has 60 days to comment on it.