THE HOLT LAW GROUP

Special Immigrants (4th preference):

Every year, 10,000 visas are available under the fourth preference to special immigrants. Special immigrants include religious workers, retired G-4 officers or employees of an international organization, persons who served honorably for 12 years in armed forces on active duty and US government employees abroad with 15 years of service, and some physicians who have resided in the U.S. for a number of years, court dependants, etc.

Religious workers include:

(a) ministers;
(b) religious workers in professional fields; and
(c) other religious workers. Up to 5,000 EB-4 immigrant visas are available each fiscal year to religious workers who are not ministers, but after September 30, 2008, they will no longer qualify as EB-4 immigrants.

Ministers will still qualify for EB-4 immigrant visas after September 8, 2008. No labor certification is required.

The petition for a religious worker is filed on Form I-360 and must be accompanied by the following supporting documents:

Internal Revenue Service tax-exempt documentation as a nonprofit religious organization;
Letter from the religious organization’s head in the US that:

(a) alien is a member of the religious denomination for 2 years and 2 years experience as a minister or worker in a religious occupation or vocation; and

(b) certifies that the alien is authorized to perform duties of a minister or is qualified in the religious occupation or vocation.