Religious Worker Visa Reciprocity Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-772
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. King, Steve [R-IA-4]
Introduced: 2019-01-24
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad

Foreign labor

Human rights

Immigration status and procedures

Religion

Visas and passports
Latest action: action_date: 2019-03-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-01-24
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Religious Worker Visa Reciprocity Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill places restrictions on the issuance of special immigrant visas for religious workers. No petition for such a visa may be approved if the alien's country of nationality (1) is identified in the 2018 International Religious Freedom Report as a Country of Particular Concern or a country where religious freedom is of significant interest or particular concern, or (2) does not provide similar immigration treatment to U.S. nationals.</p> </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 772 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 24, 2019 Mr. King of Iowa introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require the country of origin of certain special immigrant religious workers to extend reciprocal immigration treatment to nationals of the United States.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Religious Worker Visa Reciprocity Act of 2019 . 2. Requiring reciprocal immigration treatment Section 204(a)(1)(G) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(G) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (iii) Beginning on October 1, 2017, no petition may be approved for classification of an alien as a special immigrant under section 101(a)(27)(C) if the Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that the country of the alien’s nationality— (I) is identified as a Country of Particular Concern or a country where religious freedom is of significant interest in the 2018 International Religious Freedom Report; or (II) does not extend reciprocal immigration treatment to nationals of the United States who are seeking resident status in order to work in a religious vocation or occupation. .