Evidence of abuse in the visa application process convinced House immigration subcommittee chair Lamar Smith to oppose a Senate version of the law that would have made the special visa category permanent.
Officials continue to investigate the alleged abuses.
Ministry officials are relieved that the provision has been extended. But its lack of permanence creates planning problems for international groups such as Wycliffe Bible Translators. Without the special visa category, which annually grants up to 5,000 permanent visas to nonclergy religious workers, Wycliffe would consider moving its international headquarters abroad, says the group's U.S. director of personnel, Ken Mayo. The people we're looking for are not available around here. They might be technically qualified, but they're not culturally, ethnically, and organizationally qualified.