Improving Continuity for Religious Organizations and Their Employees

What it does

This interim final rule (IFR) amends U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to remove the requirement that R-1 religious workers who have reached the maximum period of stay must reside abroad and be physically present outside the United States for one year before being eligible for readmission in R-1 status after departing from the United States upon reaching the maximum admission period. The purpose of this change is to promote stability and minimize disruptions to the vital services that R-1 religious workers provide to U.S. churches, mosques, synagogues, and other bona fide nonprofit religious organizations.

The Homeland Security Department's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

8 CFR 214

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Homeland Security Department has published 23 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 16 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 1615-AD02 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

This IFR is effective on January 16, 2026. Written comments and related material must be submitted on or before March 17, 2026. The electronic Federal Docket Management System will accept comments prior to midnight Eastern Time at the end of that day.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket USCIS-2025-0403 on Regulations.gov
• Title 8 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register