DHS publishes Interim Final Rule easing immigration restrictions on religious workers

On January 16, 2026, DHS published an Interim Final Rule that would ease immigration restrictions on R-1 nonimmigrant religious workers by removing a one-year waiting period for workers to reside abroad before returning to the United States. If the Rule becomes final, R-1 religious workers will no longer be subjected to any minimum waiting period before renewing their R-1 status, which has long been a hurdle for nonimmigrant religious workers. 

Comments are due on the Interim Final Rule on March 17, 2026. For more information, see DHS’s publication in the Federal Register here.