The R-1 visa is for certain religious workers who are coming to the US temporarily to work at least part-time at a non-profit religious organization. The employee must be working as a minister or in a religious worker capacity. The employee must have been a member of a religious denomination with non-profit religious organization tax status in the US for at least 2 years immediately preceding the filing of the petition. R-1 visas can be granted initially for up to 30 months. With extensions, an R-1 visa holder cannot remain in the US for more than 5 years in R-1 status. R-1 visa holders often qualify for special immigrant visa petitions, which can be filed by the same religious entity and can result in permanent residency for the employee.