We are here today to address the “Mother Teresa Religious Workers Act.” This legislation will make permanent provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that set aside 10,000 visas per year for “special immigrants.”
Up to 5,000 of these visas annually can be used for ministers of a religious denomination. In addition, a related provision of the law provides 5,000 visas per year to individuals working for religious organizations in “a religious vocation or occupation” or in a “professional capacity in a religious vocation or occupation.” This has allowed nuns, brothers, cantors, lay preachers, religious instructors, religious counselors, missionaries, and other persons to work at their vocations or occupations for religious organizations or their affiliates.
The key component of the law will expire on September 30 of this year unless Congress acts, and that is the focus of this hearing.
Under the law, a sponsoring organization must be a bona fide religious organization or an affiliate of one, and must be certified or eligible to be certified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Religious workers must have two years work experience to qualify for an immigrant visa.
Prior to 1990, churches, synagogues, mosques, and their affiliated organizations experienced significant difficulties in trying to gain admission for a much needed minister or other individual necessary to provide religious services to their communities. However, this improvement in the law in 1990 was not made permanent and, as such, has required reauthorization every two or three years, which has created uncertainly among religious organizations.
Bishop John Cummins of Oakland has written: "Religious workers provide a very important pastoral function to the American communities in which they work and live, performing activities in furtherance of a vocation or religious occupation often possessing characteristics unique from those found in the general labor market. Historically, religious workers have staffed hospitals, orphanages, senior care homes and other charitable institutions that provide benefits to society without public funding."
Bishop Cummins notes that "The steady decline in native-born Americans entering religious vocations and occupations, coupled with the dramatically increasing need for charitable services in impoverished communities makes the extension of this special immigrant provision a necessity for numerous religious denominations in the United States."
The sentiments expressed by Bishop Cummins are widely held. Indeed this program has won universal praise in religious communities across the nation. In the past, our office has received letters from religious orders and organizations throughout the nation.
As a nation founded by people who came to these shores so they and their children could worship freely, it is only appropriate that our country welcome those who wish to help our religious organizations provide pastoral and other relief to people around this nation.
That is why I have introduced “The Mother Teresa Religious Workers Act." The bill will eliminate the sunset provisions in current law and extend permanently the religious workers provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It is clear that religious organizations’ ability to sponsor individuals who provide service to their local communities should be a permanent fixture of our immigration law, just as it is for those petitioning for close family members and skilled workers. No longer should religious institutions have to worry about whether Congress will act in time to renew the religious workers provisions. I am pleased Senators Kennedy, DeWine, and Leahy are cosponsoring this legislation.
Finally, I would like to close by reading a passage from letter sent to me in 1997. It’s a letter that at the time helped convince me of the need to move toward permanent extension of the religious workers provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The letter read as follows:
“Dear Senator Abraham:
“I am writing to ask you to help us in solving a very urgent problem. My Sisters in New York have told me that the law which allows the Sisters to apply for permanent residence in the United States expires on September 30, 1997. Please, will you do all that you can to have that law extended so that all Religious will continue to have the opportunity to be permanent residents and serve the people of your great country.
“It means so much to our poor people to have Sisters who understand them and their culture. It takes a long time for a Sister to understand the people and a culture, so now our Society wants to keep our Sisters in their mission countries on a more long term basis. Please help us and our poor by extending this law.
“I am praying for you and the people of Michigan. My Sisters serve the poor in Detroit where we have a soup kitchen and night shelter for women. Let us all thank God for this chance to serve His poor.
My office received this letter only a few weeks before her death. In honor of her great deeds for humanity I hope that this year we can finally extend the religious workers provisions of the INA permanently. I think this hearing is an important step in that process and I look forward to the testimony of the distinguished witnesses we have assembled here today.