The Religious Worker Visa Program (RWVP) was enacted in 1990 to allow U.S. religious denominations to fill religious jobs with qualified workers from abroad. Jewish congregations, particularly in remote areas with small Jewish communities, rely on rabbis, cantors, kosher butchers, Hebrew school teachers, and other foreign workers who come to the U.S. through the RWVP. Without them, many Jewish communities would find it more difficult to sustain the institutions and practices essential to Jewish religious and communal life.
Recent Updates
Since its enactment in 1990, the RWVP has been extended by Congress every time it was scheduled to expire. However, in recent years, extending the RWVP has become extremely difficult. This has less to do with the merits of the RWVP and more to do with the politics of immigration reform.
Learn More
Sign-on letter to Congress Asking for Permanent Extension of the Religious Worker Visa Program - March 22, 2012
