Leaving the United States to serve LDS Church missions won't threaten the U.S. citizenship process for a group of female immigrants, federal immigration officials have decided.
The Immigration & Naturalization Service has now approved naturalization applications for several female LDS Church missionaries who were immigrants to the United States when they left on church missions to foreign countries but later found their missionary service had delayed their becoming U.S. citizens.The applications of male immigrants who had served missions had not been delayed.
"Approval means that in most cases applicants will be immediately eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship," said Joseph Greene, district director for the Denver District of the INS, which includes Utah.
The disputed applications submitted by about 20 female former missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were part of a series of controversies surrounding the local INS office that were reported by the local news media. Other allegations included lengthy delays in processing applications and discrimin-ation against certain nationalities and religious groups, including Mormons.
Greene said his office is investigating the complaints. But he added that the decision involving the female Mormon missionaries was pending and not in response to news coverage.
About 20 LDS members had immigrated to the United States, then left on church missions to destinations outside the United States, Greene explained. After returning from their missions they applied for citizenship. The male missionaries' applications were granted because their mission time was included in the five-year residence period before qualifying for citizenship. But applications submitted by the female missionaries were denied.
Greene said males more easily qualify because they are ordained priests and the law is not as strict concerning priests and ministers. But the females, who do not hold the church priesthood, were classified as only missionaries, which falls under a tougher standard.
The main question involving the female missionaries, Greene explained, was whether they could be considered employees of the church, which is what ministers are considered to be, while serving missions. If the missionary-church relationship met INS standards, then the mission service could count toward the five-year residence period, Greene said.
Information submitted by the LDS Church last week concerning the church-missionary relationship satisfied the INS requirements and the applications were immediately approved, Greene said.
"We're pleased INS has chosen to approve the applications filed by our sister missionaries," said LDS Church spokesman Don LeFevre.