The U.S. immigration system provides a specific pathway for U.S. citizens to sponsor their siblings for lawful permanent residency (“Green Card.”) The Family-Based Fourth Preference (F4) category is dedicated to the brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens ages twenty-one (21) and above.
While this is a popular route for family reunification, the F4 category visa waiting time is historically the longest in the system due to annual caps and high global demand.
How the Wait Time is Shown on the U.S. Visa Bulletin
The wait time for an immigrant visa in the F4 category is determined by the United States Department of State’s Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin lists the priority date for each preference category, which is the date on which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) received the Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (“Form I-130”) filed by the U.S. Citizen petitioner on behalf of the foreign national. The priority date determines a foreign national’s place in line for an immigrant visa which is made available in the order in which their priority dates become current.
The Visa Bulletin is updated on a monthly basis and by reviewing the priority dates, we can estimate the current wait time for each preference category. This is determined by the number of immigrant visas that are available in the category, and the demand for visas from individuals who are waiting in line.
Table A
Important Note: For February 2026, USCIS has confirmed that family-based applicants should use the Dates for Filing (Table B) chart to determine when they can begin submitting documents to the National Visa Center. Verify your area’s cutoff in Table B.
Table B
Managing the Long F4 Visa Processing Time
If you filed a Form I-130 today, the F4 category visa waiting time for nationals of some countries can exceed 20 years. Thus, it is crucial to remember the following:
- Non-Linear Movement: Priority dates do not move forward by one month every month. They can stall or even move backward (retrogression).
- Derivative Beneficiaries: Children of the sibling may “age out” during this long wait. Consulting with a U.S. immigration lawyer is vital to understand protections under the Child Status Protection Act which was enacted to try to protect children from “aging out” (turning 21 years old) and become ineligible.
The waiting time for an immigrant visa in the family-based fourth preference immigrant visa category can be extremely long, but it is possible to immigrate to the United States through this category if you are the sibling of a U.S. citizen. Contact Enterline & Partners if you have questions about U.S. visas at info@enterlinepartners.com and speak with an experienced U.S. immigration lawyer in Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Taipei.
Other things to keep in mind:
- Visa delays can also happen due to name order issues on documents. See How Vietnam Passport Name Order Listed for common mistakes and how to fix them.
- If you’re overseas and lost your Green Card, you might need a travel document. Learn more at What is a Transportation/Boarding Foil?
- See U.S. Visas News for updates on visa bulletins and policy changes.
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Copyright 2026. This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This article may be changed with or without notice. The opinions expressed in this article are those of Enterline and Partners only.
