SD / SR · Visa Bulletin

Applying inside the U.S. (Form I-485)

◈High confidence You cannot file Form I-485 together with the I-360. Under 8 CFR 245.2, an I-485 may go in with, or while waiting on, the petition only for immediate relatives, the family preferences and the first three employment-based preferences (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3); for any other classification, including this one under INA 203(b)(4), the I-485 may be filed only after USCIS approves the petition. USCIS's concurrent-filing page names some EB-4 groups that may file together, such as special immigrant juveniles; religious workers are not among them. You also need an immigrant visa immediately available when you file.^[1,2,3]

◈High confidence You must be physically present in the U.S. when you file. Employment-based applicants, which includes EB-4 religious workers, are generally barred if they are not maintaining lawful nonimmigrant status when they file, have ever worked without authorization, or have violated the terms of a nonimmigrant admission. The rules have exceptions, and an immigration attorney can check whether one fits your history.^[2,4]

While the I-485 is pending, you may apply for a work permit (Form I-765) and for advance parole (Form I-131) to travel. Leaving the U.S. without advance parole generally counts as abandoning the I-485. USCIS cannot approve the I-485 until the State Department allocates an immigrant visa number.^[1,5,6]

Applying from abroad

If you live outside the U.S., USCIS forwards the approved I-360 to the State Department's National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC collects fees and documents and tells you when a visa number is about to become available; the consulate then schedules your interview. After the visa is issued, you pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee (USCIS encourages paying it online before you travel), and once U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) admits you at the port of entry, you are a permanent resident.^[2,7]

◈High confidence For non-minister religious workers and their families, State Department guidance tells consular officers that the immigrant visa must be issued and used before the program's end date, and to make sure applicants have travel plans to enter the U.S. before it. Getting the visa is not enough: you need to enter in time.^[8,9]The State Department manual section still shows an earlier end date; the current date is on the USCIS page (Dec. 11, 2026, as of this review).