U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert Lasnik of Seattle ruled yesterday on a troublesome R-1 visa policy that complicated the process of filing for permanent residency.

According to the AP and other news sources, the policy required religious workers to submit an extra visa petition when requesting permanent residency – a petition that isn’t required for workers in other fields or professions.

R-1 visas usually provide for a temporary 5-year stint of service in the U.S., during which the religious worker, unlike a technology or medical professional, could not apply for a ‘green card’ until a separate petition from the sponsoring congregation (employer) was approved.  And that, the law suit argued, has complicated the process since getting those additional petitions approved has proven problematic.

The judge ordered the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to review its policy and bring it in line with his interpretation of federal law within the next 20 days.

Read the AP Story.