A Visa Program for Religious Workers coming to the U.S. has just over Two weeks Left, before it Closes for Good, potentially leaving some Organizations unable to fill Positions including Counselors and Translators. Those wishing to get into the U.S. under the Special Immigrant Religious Workers Visa, known as EB-4, only have until March 13th to do so.
The Visa is a type of Green Card, offering Holders Permanent Resident Status with the potential Pathway to U.S. Citizenship. Such Pathways were seen asPpopular among Voters polled ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election as Alternatives to the Illegal Immigration that became a Focus for Trump (R) and the Republican Party.
The EB-4 is an Employment-based Visa and is Split between Ministers and Non-Ministers. Only the latter part is Affected by the Shutdown, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has said.
A variety of Positions could be Affected including Nuns and Monks, who travel to the U.S. to carry out work for various Religious Organizations. The Program currently offers up to 5,000 Visas per year, with 2023 data from USCIS showing a few Hundred were issued.
The USCCB said in 2022, that those who came to the U.S. on an EB-4 were providing Shelter Services to those in need, Caring for the Sick, and Supporting Refugees and Immigrants. In December 2024, President Biden (D) extended the Program through March 14th, 2025, meaning those Granted the Visa must enter the U.S. or Adjust their Status by March 13th. Those Employed as Ministers, along with their Spouses and Children, areNnot Affected by the Change.
As with other U.S. Visas, EB-4 Applicants have to meet Strict Criteria, including having Worked for the Religious Prganization sponsoring them for at least Two years. The U.S. Government also has to Certify that the Religious Organization is a bona fide Non-Profit.
Miguel Naranjo, Director of Immigration Servives at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said: "Allowing the Special Immigrant Religious Worker Visa to expire would be devastating for religious organizations of all faiths across the U.S. These organizations rely not only on clergy but also on men and women performing essential religious work—ministering to communities, supporting the elderly, caring for children, and aiding those facing hardships."
"If these religious workers are forced to leave, the communities they serve—often the most vulnerable—will suffer the most. At a time when so many are in need, losing these dedicated workers would create an even greater hardship for our neighbors and communities."
The USCCB, in its 2022 Report on the Situation before the EB-4: "Religious organizations faced sometimes insurmountable obstacles in using traditional employment immigration categories, which did not fit their unique situations. The resulting consequences were that religious entities found that they could not sponsor workers at all or could not do so within a timeframe that corresponded to their needs."
"By enacting the non-minister special immigrant portion of the Religious Worker Visa Program, Congress recognized both the problems with asking non-minister religious workers to fit the requirements of the employment-based immigration categories and the genuine and critical need for foreign non-minister religious workers to perform pastoral and other services in the United States." The USCIS, in its February 2025 Visa Bulletin on the Deadline: "Visas issued prior to that date will be valid only until March 13, 2025, and all individuals seeking admission in the non-minister special immigrant category must be admitted (repeat, admitted) into the United States no later than midnight March 13, 2025."
While the Program was extended multiple times, it does Not appear that such an Extension will happen under the current Administration.
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