On September 26, 2024, President Biden signed a law extending the EB-4 non-minister special immigrant religious worker program through December 20, 2024. It was previously set to expire on September 30, 2024. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) explained that the law allows such workers to immigrate or adjust to permanent resident status by that “sunset date.” Included are those in a religious vocation or occupation engaged in either a professional or non-professional capacity. The sunset date also applies to accompanying spouses and children.
Special immigrants entering the U.S. solely to carry on the vocation of a minister, and their accompanying spouses and children, are not affected by the sunset date, USCIS said. Nonprofit organizations whose use of special immigrant religious workers furthers the cultural or social interests of the United States may request expedited processing.