United States•North America9-18 months
940 USD
Indefinite
No
Required
Allowed
Available
Not Required
Ministers of religion entering permanently to work for a bona fide religious organization. Requires 2+ years membership.
The US Special Immigrant Religious Worker (SD) visa grants lawful permanent residence to ordained ministers entering full-time service with a qualifying nonprofit religious organization. No PERM labor certification is required, and ministers face no separate annual cap beyond the broader EB-4 limit.
The petitioning organization files Form I-360; processing typically takes 12–24 months across USCIS adjudication and consular processing. Upon admission, the minister is a permanent resident. Spouses and unmarried children under 21 qualify as derivatives. Citizenship follows after 5 years.
This visa is ideal for ordained ministers with at least 2 years of continuous membership in their denomination who have a full-time compensated offer from a US nonprofit religious organization.
Form I-360 USCIS filing fee | 515 USD |
Immigrant visa application fee (DS-260) | 205 USD |
USCIS Immigrant Fee | 220 USD |
| USCIS I-360 adjudication | 9 months – 1.5 years |
| NVC processing + consular interview | 2 months – 6 months |
| Status type | Permanent / indefinite |
No specific limit (subject only to the overall EB-4 cap; the 5,000 cap only applies to non-minister religious workers)
Must have been a member of the petitioning religious denomination for at least 2 years immediately preceding petition filing
Must have a qualifying job offer from a U.S. nonprofit religious organization
Must work in a ministerial capacity for the petitioning organization
Petitioning organization must be a U.S. nonprofit religious organization with tax-exempt status
Must work in a full-time compensated position (minimum 35 hours/week)
Job Offer
Required
Education
none or higher
Experience
2+ years
Valid passport (6+ months validity beyond intended entry date)
Form I-360 USCIS approval notice
Form DS-260 confirmation page
Two passport-style photographs meeting U.S. visa standards
Civil documents: birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable)
Medical examination results (Form I-693 or equivalent)
Evidence of 2-year prior membership in petitioning denomination
Qualifying job offer letter from petitioning religious organization
IRS tax-exemption determination letter for petitioning organization
Evidence of compensation or ability to pay from the petitioning organization
| I-360 Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant | Fill online |
| DS-260 Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application | Fill online |
| Annual Allocation | No specific limit (subject only to the overall EB-4 cap; the 5,000 cap only applies to non-minister … | uscis.gov |
| Application Steps | Petitioning U.S. nonprofit religious organization files Form I-360 with USCIS; USCIS adjudicates the… | uscis.gov |
| Dependent Visa | Dependents allowed | uscis.gov |
| Fee Breakdown | Form I-360 USCIS filing fee: 515 USD; Immigrant visa application fee (DS-260): 205 USD; USCIS Immigr… | uscis.gov |
| Fee Breakdown · USCIS Immigrant Fee · amount | 220 | uscis.gov |
| Fees | $515 Form I-360 filing fee + $205 immigrant visa application fee + $220 USCIS Immigrant Fee | uscis.gov |
| Forms | Form I-360 (Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant); Form DS-260 (Immigrant Visa Ap… | uscis.gov |
| Forms · DS-260 · description | Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application | travel.state.gov |
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