In the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, foreign-born priests aren’t a luxury — they’re a necessity.
Of the 26 priests who administer the sacraments to Catholics across a territory roughly one-and-a-half the size of Texas, 14 are from abroad, serving in the U.S. on temporary R-1 religious worker visas.
But in a diocese where many parishes can only be reached by aircraft, boat, or snowmobile, many of Fairbanks’ foreign priests are facing a different kind of challenge to carrying out their ministry: difficulty getting their visas renewed.
Despite efforts by the Trump administration to streamline the R-1 visa renewal process by eliminating a previously required waiting period, the diocese says that broader immigration restrictions have put in doubt the ability of its foreign clergy to remain in Alaska. In particular, a Jan. 1 travel ban of nationals from 39 different countries deemed security risks has complicated the visa renewal process for seven of the diocese’s priests, who hail from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, or the Congo — all affected countries.
“It places our parishes in a very precarious situation,” diocesan vicar general Father Robert Fath told the Register.
Fairbanks isn’t the only local diocese feeling the pressure. Several across the country told
