Overview: The EB-4 religious worker green card covers ministers and other religious workers employed by a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the United States. It requires two years of membership in the denomination, two years of continuous religious work, and a full-time compensated job offer. The non-minister part of the program currently runs through December 11, 2026.
Who qualifies
Under the federal regulation, the worker must:
- Have been a member of a religious denomination with a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the United States for at least the two years immediately before filing.
- Be coming to work in a full-time, compensated position, averaging at least 35 hours a week, as a minister or in a religious vocation or occupation.
- Have worked in one of those roles continuously for at least the two years before filing, abroad or in lawful status in the United States, and after age 14.
The earlier work does not need to match the new job exactly. A break in continuity is allowed if the person was still employed as a religious worker, the break did not exceed two years, and the break was for further religious training or a sabbatical. The person must have stayed a member of the denomination throughout.
A minister is someone fully authorized and trained by the denomination to conduct worship and perform the duties usually performed by its clergy.
What the employer must provide
The employer files Form I-360 with an attestation signed by an authorized official. According to the 2008 final rule, the attestation includes the position title, the full compensation package, a detailed description of daily duties, and confirmation of at least 35 hours a week. It also lists how many religious workers the employer has employed and petitioned for in the past five years.
The petition also needs verifiable evidence of how the worker will be paid, whether in salary or in kind. If the worker was paid in the United States during the past two years, the employer submits IRS records such as a W-2. USCIS may verify the petition through an on-site inspection of the organization, as the Policy Manual describes.
The non-minister sunset
The minister category is permanent. The non-minister category has a sunset date that Congress has extended many times. According to the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, H.R. 6500, signed September 2, 2026, extends the Certain Religious Workers category through December 11, 2026. Non-minister workers and their families must immigrate or adjust status by the sunset date unless Congress extends it again.
The visa queue
Religious workers share the EB-4 line. In the October 2026 bulletin, EB-4 had a Final Action DatesThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the priority dates for which a visa number can actually be issued or a green card approved in that month.See it in the glossary of December 15, 2022 and a Dates for FilingThe Visa Bulletin chart showing the earliest priority dates for which applicants may submit documents, or in some months file for adjustment of status, ahead of a visa number being available.See it in the glossary date of January 1, 2025 for all areas. Check the current bulletin each month.