How to Get a Green Card Through Religious Work

Obtain a green card to live and work inside the United States.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Service does not differentiate religious work from other forms of employment concerning green card approval. You must contact a religious institution from outside of the United States to obtain a permanent resident visa, informally known as a green card. The institution must offer you permanent employment in the United States and file a petition with the USCIS. Once the petition is approved you must file to register your permanent residency with USCIS to obtain your green card for religious work purposes.

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Get an offer for permanent employment inside the United States. Contact religious institutions and inquire about job opportunities. Tell them how you would benefit their work to justify the rigors of the green card process.
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  Visit the website of USCIS (uscis.gov) and click on "Green Card through a Job" under the larger heading of "Green Card (Permanent Residence)." Click on "Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker" in the right hand toolbar of the next page. Print out form I-140 and its instructional booklet.
- 3
  
  Get your employer to fill out form I-140. Have the employer fill the application out in black ink, answering every question and providing an "N/A" for questions that cannot be answered. Get the employer to gather the required documents including proof of work inside the United States.
- 4
  
  Mail the application, documents and a payment for $580 in the form of a U.S. Postal money order made to the Department of Homeland Security to the appropriate lock-box facility listed on the application.
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  Receive a notification that USCIS has received form I-140.
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  Visit the website of USCIS and search for form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Print the application and its instructional booklet. Read the instructional booklet carefully.
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  Fill the application out completely in black ink, providing an "N/A" for questions that cannot be answered. Gather the required documents including your passport, proof of form I-130 receipt and police clearances. Enclose the application, documents and a payment of $1070 in the form of a U.S. Postal money order to the Department of Homeland Security into an envelope.
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  Mail your application certified to the appropriate lock-box facility. Wait for a response from USCIS and cooperate. You may be required to attend a biometrics exam, which includes fingerprinting and photographs.
- 9
  
  Receive your green card. Enter the United States and honor the terms of your visa by doing religious work with the organization you are employed with.