What is a visa ?

Updated Mar. 24, 2026Refreshed annually
The R-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa issued for work. Nonimmigrant visas are admitted for people who intend to stay in the US temporarily. R-1 visas accounted for 0.05% of all issued visas in FY 2024.
In FY 2024,

5.19K

visas issued by the US were R-1 visas

The R-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows foreign nationals to enter the United States to work temporarily in religious capacities. This visa is intended for ministers, persons working in a professional capacity in a religious vocation or occupation, or those working for a qualifying nonprofit religious organization at least part-time, averaging at least 20 hours per week.

The initial period of stay for an R-1 visa holder is up to 30 months, with the possibility of an extension for an additional 30 months. However, the total period of stay cannot exceed five years (60 months).

The State Department does not maintain a cap on R-1 visas.

Keep exploring

Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.