Why does Certain Religious Workers show U?

Usually because the program's legal authority lapsed or is about to. The bulletin notes explain it.

What petition is used for EB-4?

Form I-360 for most EB-4 categories.

How many EB-4 visas are there?

Up to 7.1% of the employment-based worldwide level each year.

How does EB-4 (and the religious workers row) work in the Visa Bulletin?

Updated November 12, 2026 · Not legal advice

EB-4 covers certain special immigrants and gets up to 7.1% of the employment-based limit. The bulletin prints a separate "Certain Religious Workers" row for non-minister religious workers, a program with an expiration date that Congress has to extend; when it lapses, that row shows "U" (unavailable).

EB-4: current cutoff dates

See the current bulletin for this month's EB-4 dates: official Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov. We do not copy dates by hand, so this page shows them only after our automated fetch has read the official bulletin.

USCIS says employment-based adjustment applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin (USCIS filing charts).

EB-4 rows
Row	Who	Watch for
4th	Special immigrants such as special immigrant juveniles, certain broadcasters, ministers and others	Country-specific cutoffs when demand is high
Certain Religious Workers	Non-minister religious workers	Program sunset date: U if not extended

Why the religious workers row can disappear

Ministers are a permanent part of EB-4, but the non-minister religious worker program is authorized only until a date set by Congress. The bulletin notes say when the authority is set to expire and whether visas can be issued after it. Check the notes in the current bulletin before planning around this row.

Special immigrant juveniles

Special immigrant juveniles (SIJ) use the EB-4 row for their country. When EB-4 has a cutoff for their country, an approved I-360 still waits for the date to be current before adjustment.

Movement history

This table is built month by month from the official bulletins as we read them, so it only shows months we have fetched. Until then, past bulletins are in the official archive.

Quick answers

Why does Certain Religious Workers show U?: Usually because the program's legal authority lapsed or is about to. The bulletin notes explain it.
What petition is used for EB-4?: Form I-360 for most EB-4 categories.
How many EB-4 visas are there?: Up to 7.1% of the employment-based worldwide level each year.

What to do next: get your Visa Bulletin alert

If you depend on the EB-4 or religious workers row, get an alert when it changes, including U to a date.

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Sources

Checked: November 12, 2026