US Announces the Extension of Employment Fourth Preference Religious Workers SR Category
- US President signed H.R. 6500 on September 2, 2026, extending a key immigration category for religious workers
- The SR category extension runs through December 11, 2026, giving religious workers more time to pursue their visa applications
- Religious workers under the SR category remain subject to the same filing and final action dates as other Employment Fourth Preference applicants
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The United States has extended the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) visa category after President signed H.R. 6500 into law on September 2, 2026.
The extension keeps the SR category active through December 11, 2026, providing continued immigration pathways for qualifying religious workers seeking to live and work in the United States.
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What the SR category extension means
The SR category covers certain religious workers who do not qualify under the standard minister classification but still serve in a religious vocation or occupation. Without the extension provided by H.R. 6500, this category would have lapsed, cutting off a route used by workers from various religious organisations to obtain permanent residence in the US.
Under the terms of the extension, the SR category continues to follow the same dates for filing and final action as other Employment Fourth Preference categories. This means that the applicable foreign state of chargeability determines which filing and final action dates apply to each SR applicant, consistent with how all other Employment Fourth Preference petitions are processed.
Filing and final action dates
Applicants under the SR category must track the monthly Visa Bulletin issued by the US Department of State to know when they can file adjustment of status applications or when immigrant visas become available. Because SR applicants share the same cut-off dates as other Employment Fourth Preference workers, movement in those dates affects all applicants in the category equally, regardless of whether they are religious workers or other eligible fourth preference beneficiaries.
The extension to December 11, 2026, gives both petitioners and applicants a defined window to advance their cases before Congress would need to act again to renew the category beyond that date.
US announces 4 preference categories for family-sponsored visas
Legit.ng earlier reported that the United States Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets out four distinct preference categories under Section 203(a) that determine how family-sponsored immigrant visas are distributed each year.
Source: Legit.ng
