Summary
A Texas pastor and his family left the United States for Brazil after facing immigration delays. Pastor Albert Oliveira had been in the U.S. on a temporary religious worker visa and applied for a permanent residency visa, but processing delays prompted him to leave to avoid being undocumented. He plans to apply again for a visa so he can return.
Key Facts
- Pastor Albert Oliveira and his family voluntarily left the U.S. to avoid undocumented status after their R-1 visa expired.
- Oliveira applied for an EB-4 visa, which is for religious workers seeking permanent residency, but a backlog in immigration processing delayed their application.
- The U.S. has a record number of 11.3 million pending immigration applications.
- Oliveira first came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2011 and later worked at the First Baptist Church of Gordon.
- A bill has been proposed to allow certain religious workers to stay in the U.S. while their visa applications are pending, but it is still in committee.
- Oliveira and his family received an emotional farewell from the church community before their departure.
- Oliveira plans to apply for a new R-1 visa in the future and continue his work remotely for now.
