Visa Bulletin for December 2025

What the State Department said

Extension of the employment fourth religious workers (SR) category

H.R. 5371, signed on November 12, 2025, extends the Employment Fourth Preference Certain Religious Workers (SR) category until January 30, 2026. No SR visas may be issued overseas, or final action taken on adjustment of status cases, after midnight January 29, 2026. Visas issued prior to that date will be valid only until January 29, 2026, and all individuals seeking admission in the non-minister special immigrant category must be admitted (repeat admitted) into the United States no later than midnight January 29, 2026.

As indicated in item D of the November 2025 Visa Bulletin, the extension resulted in this category immediately becoming available in November, subject to the same final action dates as the other Employment Fourth Preference categories per applicable foreign state of chargeability. For December, the applicable SR final action date will be 01SEP20 for all countries.

U.s. government employee special immigrant visas (SIVS)

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law on December 22, 2023, may affect certain current and former employees of the U.S. Government abroad, as well as certain surviving spouses and children of deceased employees of the U.S. government abroad, applying for SIVs or adjustment of status, as described in section 101(a)(27)(D) of the INA. This does not affect certain Iraqis and Afghans applying for SQ and SI SIVs. Applicants should contact the consular section at which they filed their Form DS‑1884 for further information on the impact of that law on their case.