R-2 Spouse or Child of a Religious Worker
R-2 is the derivative status for the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of an R-1 religious worker. It runs alongside the R-1's 30-month blocks and five-year ceiling. It permits study but no employment at all, which is a real constraint on clergy families living on modest religious-worker compensation.
- Срок
- The same period as the R-1 principal: up to 30 months at a time, within the R-1's overall five-year ceiling.
- Продление
- R-2 dependants file Form I-539 when the R-1 principal extends on Form I-129. They cannot be extended beyond the principal's period, and the five-year ceiling applies to the family through the principal.
- Работа
- No. R-2 dependants are not authorised to work under this classification and there is no EAD route. A spouse who needs to work must obtain a separate status that permits it, which for many religious families means their own R-1 petition from the same or another congregation.
- Двойное намерение
- limited - R-2 follows the R-1, where a filed labour certification or immigrant petition is not by itself a ground for denial, but the family must still intend to depart at the end of the stay.
- Члены семьи
- Not applicable. R-2 is itself the derivative classification.
- Путь к грин-карте
- No independent route. R-2 dependants normally follow the R-1 principal's EB-4 special immigrant religious worker petition as derivative beneficiaries. Because the non-minister EB-4 religious worker category has repeatedly been subject to a statutory sunset, families should confirm it is authorised before planning around it.
- Срок рассмотрения
- Visa issuance tracks the R-1's interview wait, which has grown since the October 2025 rollback and the March 2026 addition of R-2 to expanded vetting. Form I-539 inside the United States runs several months with no premium processing for R-2.
Кто подходит
- Legally married spouse of an R-1 religious worker
- Unmarried children under 21 of an R-1 religious worker
- Family accompanying the R-1, or following to join later
Требования
- The R-1 principal must hold an approved Form I-129 and be in valid R-1 status
- Proof of the qualifying relationship: marriage certificate or birth certificate
- A copy of the R-1's approval notice and visa
- Own Form DS-160 and MRV fee for each dependant applying abroad
- Form I-539 where the family is already inside the United States
- Since March 30, 2026, social media profiles set to public for online presence review
Как подать
- 1
Gather the R-1 principal's Form I-797 approval notice and a copy of their visa
- 2
Complete a separate Form DS-160 for each dependant and pay the $205 MRV fee each
- 3
Set social media profiles to public, required of R-2 applicants since March 30, 2026
- 4
Interview at the same post as the principal, in the country of nationality or residence
- 5
Bring the marriage certificate or birth certificates
- 6
Where already in the United States, file Form I-539 alongside the R-1's Form I-129 extension
- 7
Enrol children in school, which is permitted on R-2
- 8
Plan separately for a spouse who needs income, since R-2 permits no work
Сборы и формы
| MRV nonimmigrant visa application fee, petition-based tier | $205 per dependant |
| Form I-539 to extend or change status inside the United States | $470 paper, $420 online |
| Public Law 119-21 visa integrity fee | $250 statutory minimum; absent from the State Department fee schedule as of September 2026, so collection is unverified |
Что изменилось в 2025 и 2026 годах
- March 30, 2026: State expanded online presence review, announced March 25, 2026, to A-3, C-3 domestic workers, G-5, H-3, H-4 dependants of H-3, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T and U applicants. This sits on top of the June 18, 2025 requirement for F, M and J applicants and the Dec. 15, 2025 extension to H-1B and H-4. Everyone in scope is told to set all social media profiles to public or open. R-2 is named alongside R-1 in the March 2026 expansion.
- Jan. 16, 2026: the DHS interim final rule that removed the year-abroad requirement for R-1 workers who exhaust the five-year maximum indirectly benefits R-2 families, who no longer face a compulsory year out of the country before returning.
- Oct. 1, 2025: the interview waiver rollback announced Sept. 18, 2025 took effect and superseded the July 25, 2025 guidance. Almost every nonimmigrant applicant now needs an in-person interview. The standing carve-outs are A-1, A-2, C-3 other than personal staff, G-1 through G-4, NATO-1 through NATO-6, TECRO E-1, diplomatic and official visas, and 12-month renewals of B-1/B-2, Mexican border crossing cards and H-2A. Waiver-eligible applicants must also apply in their country of nationality or residence, must never have been refused a visa unless overcome or waived, and must have no apparent ineligibility. The old under-14 and over-79 age exemptions were abolished. No further update has issued as of September 2026.
- July 15, 2026: State told nonimmigrant applicants to interview in their country of nationality or residence, or at the designated processing post if their country has no routine operations. Applying elsewhere is allowed but harder to qualify, the MRV fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, and waits are much longer. A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO and diplomatic applicants are exempt.
- Jan. 1, 2026: Presidential Proclamation 10998, signed Dec. 16, 2025, took effect at 12:01 a.m. EST and replaced Proclamation 10949 (signed June 4, 2025, effective June 9, 2025). It fully suspends visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries - Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - plus holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, across every nonimmigrant and immigrant category. It only reaches people who were outside the United States and held no valid visa at 12:01 a.m. EST on Jan. 1, 2026; no earlier-issued visa was revoked under it. R visas sit outside the partial suspension list.
- July 4, 2025: Public Law 119-21 added non-waivable immigration surcharges on top of normal filing fees. The ones that touch nonimmigrants are the Form I-94 fee, held at $24 for FY 2026, the parole fee, adjusted to $1,020 for FY 2026, parolee EAD surcharges of $560 initial and $280 renewal, and a statutory visa integrity fee of at least $250 on nonimmigrant visa issuance. The $250 visa integrity fee is enacted but unverified as collected: it appears nowhere on the State Department fee schedule as of September 2026 and no implementing rule has published.
- Current USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055 edition 05/29/26: Form I-539 is $470 on paper and $420 online.
Где чаще всего ошибаются
- Assuming an R-2 spouse can work for the congregation. They cannot without their own R-1 petition.
- Forgetting R-2 extensions need their own Form I-539 rather than riding on the principal's Form I-129.
- Overlooking that the R-1's five-year ceiling caps the whole family's stay.
- Volunteering that in substance amounts to employment, which is a live risk in a congregation setting.
- An R-2 child turning 21 with no derivative status left.
- Filing the Form I-539 late so the family falls out of status while the principal's extension is approved.
Также в категории Religious worker
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