Legislation for religious workers introduced in Congress

Aimed at facilitating immigration of religious workers including those of Hindu and Sikh faith, a US lawmaker has introduced a legislation in the House of Representatives.
Introduced yesterday by Congressman Mike Honda, the Freedom of Faith Act (HR 4460), will make permanent the special immigrant provision for non-minister religious workers.
The current religious workers programme is set to expire in 2015.
When passed by the Congress, the Act would cover religious workers, who provide a variety of services, such as translating for Korean Presbyterian churches, singing as cantors in Jewish temples, delivering sermons as mullahs (clerics) in Muslim mosques, and helping with Hindu pujas during Dussehra, Naimittika, Shivaratri, and Sikh ceremonies such as Akhandpath.

Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Jain, Mormon, Catholic, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim workers would benefit from this.
"For over two decades, Congress has reauthorised this programme time and time again," Honda said.

"It's time we do what's right for our communities of faith and make permanent this programme that allows workers who lead worship, officiate events, and offer pastoral care, to receive temporary visas like ministers and faith leaders do," he said.
The move was welcomed by the various religious communities.
"Religious freedom is a bedrock of American society. However, religious freedom is meaningless without access to clergy, religious workers, and houses of worship. By removing bureaucratic barriers preventing religious workers from serving the American people, the Freedom of Faith Act further strengthens our collective religious freedom," the Hindu American Foundation said.

The Freedom of Faith Act is a common sense solution that ensures religious communities are able to adequately maintain their houses of worship and other religious institutions, the American Jewish Community said.
The Universal Muslim Association of America said many religious centers in the United States go without proper religious instruction or guidance.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations applauded the introduction of the Act, which unchains the Special Immigrant Non-Minister provision of the Immigration and Naturalization Act from the unnecessary burden of continuous congressional reauthorisation.