Wisconsin archbishop calls for changes to visa rule that could force foreign priests to leave the US

With Daniel Payne

CNA Staff, November 1, 2024 / 18:15

A Wisconsin archbishop is asking the federal government to change a new visa rule that is creating a backlog in visa applications, while the archbishop warned that the new rule could force foreign priests to return to their home countries and create a shortage of priests in the United States.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee alone is home to two dozen immigrant priests, and Catholics in Wisconsin risk losing their services if the visa rule is allowed to remain in place, Archbishop Jerome Listecki said this week.

A 2023 change in U.S. visa rules has created a backlog of visa applicants and prevented priests from receiving green cards before their first clergy visas expire. The backlog occurred as the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security increased the number of immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras applying for EB-4 visas, a special visa category used by clergy.

Church officials, under the influence of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, have warned that the backlog could lead to a significant shortage of priests in the country. stating It was stated that due to the rule change, immigrants with a five-year temporary R-1 visa may be forced to return to their country and wait many more years for a permanent EB-4 visa.

Five immigrant priests in the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey He filed a lawsuit against the federal government in August He argues that the government’s reorganization of the visa process would require priests to return to their home countries and then subject them to long delays when applying for visas to serve in the United States

‘This problem affects our state and our country’

Inside a letter this week Addressing Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, Listecki warned that the government’s visa changes would “deter all dioceses in the United States that are currently dependent on the support of international workers” and “impede the ability to fulfill our religious mission in accordance with our laws.” the founding principles of the nation.”

In his letter Tuesday, Listecki said the Archdiocese of Milwaukee would join the Dioceses of Madison, Green Bay, LaCrosse and Superior in petitioning the government to correct the backlog.

The archbishop said “dioceses throughout the United States” are experiencing similar difficulties with the visa program.

Listecki said the archdiocese currently has 24 priests on temporary worker visas in its parishes, and they are subject to the “instability of existing law.”

Priests serve not only in parishes but also as hospital chaplains, the bishop said. There are also currently two foreign theology students preparing for the priesthood in the archdiocese.

He called on Archbishop Baldwin to work to overcome looming challenges, but said the White House could take unilateral action to shorten the time a cleric must stay outside the United States before being allowed to return. He said this temporary solution “could provide meaningful relief” to the archdiocese.

“This problem affects our state and our country,” the archbishop wrote.

He said federal rules should be addressed “not only on behalf of clergy and their employers, but also on the many American communities that depend on them for a wide range of religious and social services.”

Inside Wednesday statementThe Archdiocese’s Archdiocese echoed the archdiocese’s claims, arguing that the visa revisions “will have a negative impact on our neighborhoods and local communities.”

The High Diocese “struggles to appoint new priests to accommodate the increasing number of retired and sick priests,” the statement said. The diocese relies heavily on foreign-born priests to fill the gap.

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The diocese said it has asked the federal government to “reduce the time required outside the United States” for the priests in question.

He also implored “everyone of faith and good will to contact their representatives regarding this important immigration issue.”

Last year the USCCB’s immigration committee participated in an interfaith letter has warned the government of “increased difficulties recruiting staff for places of worship, community centres, schools, charities and other sites” arising from the rule change.

The letter asked the government to “do everything you can to protect meaningful access” for religious officials seeking visas.

Daniel Payne is senior editor of the Catholic News Agency. She previously worked at College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.