Religious Workforce Protection Act

This bill extends temporary work visas for religious workers (like pastors or missionaries) who face long delays in obtaining permanent residency due to annual visa caps. It allows them to keep their temporary status while waiting for a final decision on their permanent residency application, rather than having to leave the U.S. after five years. The bill also permits these workers to change employers under certain conditions and exempts them from a mandatory one-year foreign residence requirement if they were forced to leave due to the five-year visa limit. These changes directly affect religious workers with pending permanent residency applications stuck in visa backlogs.