Green Card for a Religious Worker (Minister or Nonminister)
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Congress amended the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) in 1990 to create a special immigrant status for ministers and nonministers in religious vocations and occupations.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible in the religious worker category, you must:
- Have been a member of a bona fide non-profit religious denomination for at least two years prior to filing Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant
- Have been working continuously for the past two years immediately prior to filing the immigrant petition:
- As a religious minister in a religious vocation either professional or non-professional capacity, or
- In a religious occupation either professional or nonprofessional capacity
- Seek to enter the United States solely to carry out such religious occupation of the employer’s denomination
Application Process
To apply for a green card while in the United States, you must file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
Supporting Evidence for Form I-485
You should submit all of the following evidence with your Form I-485:
- Form I-485 (type or print in black ink)
- Copy of Form I-797, approval notice for I-360, Petition for Amerasian Widow(er), or Special Immigrant
- Passport photos, 2″x2″ full-face color frontal view on a white or off-white background (although USCIS now uses your photos taken during fingerprint appointment)
- Form I-485A, Supplement A, if filed under 245(i)
- Form G-325A, Biographic Information Sheet, for applicants between ages 14 and 79
- Form I-693, Medical Examination, signed and sealed by a designated physician
- Birth certificate or other records of your birth
- Copies of all passport pages with non-immigrant visas
- Arrest and criminal history
- Employment verification letter from petitioner on religious entity’s letterhead, stating your salary and position and that the job is still available
- Photocopy of the applicant’s current passport and previously issued passports, including biographic/photo pages, current and expired visas, and pages with relevant entry or departure stamps
- Photocopy of Form I-797 approval notices for all extensions and changes of status
- Photocopy of the Form I-20 or IAP 66 school records (front and back, including all school annotations)
- Form G-28, if you have an attorney representing your case
If you are outside the United States, please see the “Consular Processing” webpage.
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