Name: Visa renewals for religious workers are backlogged for years
Uploaded: 2025-11-10T01:01:10.017Z
Duration: 2 min 38 s
Description: Thousands of foreign-born faith leaders across the U.S. are finding it difficult to stay with their congregations as visa renewals for religious workers have been backlogged for years.

Thousands of foreign-born faith leaders across the U.S. are finding it difficult to stay with their congregations as visa renewals for religious workers have been backlogged for years.

Gordon

Thousands of foreign-born faith leaders in the United States are struggling to remain with their congregations due to years-long backlogs in religious worker visa renewals. Pastor Albert Oliveira of Gordon, Texas, is among those affected, having spent years and over $30,000 on immigration fees but still unable to secure a green card.

Faced with an expiring visa, Oliveira, his wife, and their American-born son decided to self-deport to Brazil to avoid breaking the law. The backlog has persisted across multiple U.S. administrations, and Oliveira plans to continue ministering to his congregation remotely while reapplying for a visa.

Visa renewals for religious workers are backlogged for years

Tonight, thousands of faith leaders in this country are finding it difficult to stay with their congregations. That's because they are foreign-born and visa renewals for religious workers are backlogged for years. CBS' Omar Villafranca reports from Gordon, Texas, on a pastor who is now self-deporting. The Lord is compassionate and gracious. This was Pastor Albert Oliveira's last time leading Sunday services in person at First Baptist Church in Gordon, Texas. He's usually the one praying for his flock, but on this day, the church members are praying for him. Brazilian-born Oliveira is in the U.S. on a special religious worker visa that is about to expire. Despite years of work and more than $30,000 in fees to navigate the immigration system, he's still waiting for a green card that would allow him to stay in the U.S. longer. It's not my fault that there's a backlog. It's not my fault that it's taking forever. I did what I was requested to do by the law. Has this frustrated you? All the time. They're changing the rules of the game while the ball is rolling on the field. Without a green card, Oliveira, his German-born wife Caroline, and his three-year-old American-born son Elliot, made the difficult decision to self-deport back to Brazil to avoid breaking the law. You can't really make plans. We have built a life here, and we have a child. We have friends. We have a job. We have a ministry. Oh, my goodness. Oliveira says during the Biden administration, the wait for the type of visa he wants ballooned largely due to the surge in migrants. In the Trump administration, the backlog has not improved. The wait time, years. Church member Nancy Robleski helps lead worship music. The fact that Albert has been here for so long and has done everything by the book, by the laws, and at the last minute for him to get it all yanked away from him, that's just, it's wrong. Today, the family boarded a plane for Brazil. Leaving now allows him to reapply for a visa after a year and restart the process. Until then, he plans to preach via Zoom to his flock. The Oliveira family left a few boxes of clothes behind at their home. The pastor told me he has faith that he'll be back to get them and lead this church again. Omar Villafranca, CBS News, Gordon, Texas.

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