F4 Family fourth preference: brother or sister of an adult U.S. citizen
F4 lets a U.S. citizen aged 21 or over petition for a brother or sister. It has the largest annual allocation of the family preferences and the longest waits, because demand has exceeded supply for decades. The sibling's spouse and minor children come along as derivatives, so a single petition can move an entire household.
- Duration
- permanent
- Extensions
- Not applicable. Residence is unconditional and renewed with Form I-90 every ten years.
- Work
- Yes, without restriction once residence is granted, for the principal and every derivative. The pending petition confers nothing at all - no status, no work permit, no right to enter.
- Dependents
- The sibling's spouse and unmarried children under 21 are derivative beneficiaries with the same priority date under INA 203(d), and may accompany or follow to join.
- Path to a green card
- The petition is the path. When the priority date is current, the family consular processes on the DS-260 or, where lawfully present in the United States, files Form I-485. The petitioner's death normally revokes the petition, though USCIS may reinstate it for humanitarian reasons or a substitute sponsor may be permitted under INA 204(l).
- Processing time
- Entirely queue-driven. A September 2026 final action date of 22OCT11 for most of the world implies roughly fifteen years; India, at 01NOV06, close to twenty; the Philippines, at 22AUG07, about nineteen; Mexico, at 08APR01, more than twenty-five. Derived from the September 2026 Visa Bulletin. USCIS I-130 adjudication times are separate and unverified here.
- Annual cap and waiting lines
- 65,000 a year plus any numbers not required by the first three preferences, within the FY2026 worldwide family-sponsored limit of 226,000. Per-country limit 28,862 (29,136 with carryover); dependent area limit 8,247 (8,325 with carryover). September 2026 final action dates: all chargeability areas 22OCT11, China-mainland born 22OCT11, India 01NOV06, Mexico 08APR01, Philippines 22AUG07. Dates for filing: all areas and China 01NOV11, India 15DEC06, Mexico 30APR01, Philippines 22MAR08.
Who qualifies
- A brother or sister of a U.S. citizen who is 21 or over, where both are children of at least one common parent for immigration purposes
- Half-siblings through a common parent, and step-siblings where the marriage creating the relationship occurred before both were 18
- Adoptive siblings, where the adoption occurred before the child turned 16
- The sibling's spouse and unmarried children under 21, as derivative beneficiaries
Requirements
- The petitioner must be a U.S. citizen aged 21 or over
- Proof of the sibling relationship - both birth certificates showing a common parent, plus marriage certificates where the link runs through a father or a step-relationship
- A current priority date under the Visa Bulletin
- Admissibility under INA 212(a) or an available waiver for each applicant
- Form I-864 from the citizen sibling, or a joint sponsor, covering the whole family group
- A medical examination for each applicant
How to apply
- 1
The citizen sibling, once 21, files a single Form I-130 with both birth certificates and whatever documents establish the common parent.
- 2
Note the priority date and then wait, in most cases for well over a decade. Keep the petitioner's address current with USCIS - a petition that cannot be contacted after twenty years is a common cause of failure.
- 3
When the dates for filing chart reaches the priority date, the National Visa Center opens the case and collects the DS-261, fees, Form I-864 and civil documents for everyone.
- 4
When the final action date passes the priority date, each applicant completes a medical exam and attends the consular interview.
- 5
Enter on the immigrant visas and pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee per person.
Fees and forms
| Form I-130 petition, paper filing | $675 |
| Form I-130 petition, online filing | $625 |
| DS-260 immigrant visa application processing | $325 per person, including each derivative |
| Affidavit of Support review by the National Visa Center | $120 |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee | $235 per person |
| Form I-485, applicant 14 or older, paper | $1,440 |
| Form I-485, applicant under 14 filing with a parent's I-485, paper | $950 |
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- September 2026 Visa Bulletin - final action dates across family categories were advanced because issuance to nationals affected by Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998 has dropped, with an explicit warning that retrogression may follow and categories may go unavailable before 30 September 2026.
- 1 January 2026 - annual inflation adjustment to the H.R. 1 fees.
- 29 April 2026 - DHS final rule implementing the H.R. 1 fees and related procedures.
- May 2026 - USCIS guidance treating adjustment of status as an extraordinary exercise of discretion.
- 20 July 2026 - public charge final rule rescinding the 2022 regulations, effective 18 September 2026.
- FY2026 - worldwide family-sponsored limit 226,000, per-country limit 28,862; F4 receives 65,000 plus numbers unused by the first three preferences.
Where it goes wrong
- Children ageing out. Over a fifteen to twenty-five year wait most derivative children pass 21, and the CSPA subtraction rarely saves them because the pending time is short relative to the queue time.
- The petitioner dying. The petition is normally revoked; reinstatement for humanitarian reasons or a substitute sponsor under INA 204(l) is discretionary and not guaranteed.
- Losing touch. Twenty years of address changes on both sides is the most common reason a current F4 case never gets to interview.
- Believing a pending F4 petition gives any right to visit, work or remain. It gives none, and disclosing it can defeat a visitor visa application on nonimmigrant intent grounds.
- For Mexican nationals, filing at all as a plan for the beneficiary rather than for the beneficiary's estate. At 08APR01 in September 2026, the queue is longer than most careers.
Also in family preference
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