F4 Green Card: Brothers and Sisters of US Citizens

• The petitioner must be a US citizen aged 21 or older. Green card holders cannot sponsor siblings.
• The beneficiary must be the citizen's brother or sister: you share at least one parent.

You prove this with both of your birth certificates showing the common parent. Half-siblings qualify. Step-siblings qualify only in limited cases: you must both count as children of the same parent, which for a stepchild means the marriage took place before that child turned 18. Adopted siblings qualify if the adoption met the rules (generally before age 16).

The sibling's spouse and unmarried children under 21 can immigrate with them as derivatives.

F4 has about 65,000 visas a year worldwide, and demand is far higher. Each country is also limited to 7% of the combined family and employment total, so countries with many applicants wait longer. People often file F4 petitions many years before they expect to move, and plans can change a lot in that time: children turn 21, marriages end, and petitioners grow older.

If the citizen petitioner dies, the petition is usually revoked, though some relief exists, especially for beneficiaries living in the US. Get legal advice in that situation.

F4 has about 65,000 visas a year, plus any numbers not used in F1, F2, and F3. No single country can use more than 7% of the combined family and employment limits, which is why some countries wait much longer.

Your priority date is the date USCIS received the I-130. Each month the State Department's Visa Bulletin lists a cutoff date for F4 by country. When your priority date is earlier than the cutoff, you can take the final step. USCIS also says each month whether people in the US can file using the "Dates for Filing" chart or must wait for the "Final Action Dates" chart.

These are general patterns, not predictions. Cutoff dates can move forward, stand still, or move backward. Check the Visa Bulletin tracker for this month's dates.

If you are waiting in F4, check whether you qualify for a faster route on your own, such as an employment-based green card or a work visa.

Children must be unmarried and under 21 when the visa becomes available to come as derivatives. The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) subtracts the time the I-130 was pending from the child's age, which helps, but after a very long F4 wait many children still age out. A child who ages out can later be sponsored by the parent in F2B once the parent is a permanent resident, which starts a new wait.

If your sibling is in the US: they can file Form I-485 once the Visa Bulletin shows your priority date as current (and USCIS says which chart it is accepting that month). They generally must have been inspected and admitted or paroled into the US. Unlike immediate relatives, preference relatives usually must also have stayed in lawful status, so an overstay or unauthorized work typically blocks adjustment. See adjustment of status.

If your sibling is abroad: after USCIS approves the I-130, the case moves to the National Visa Center (NVC). You pay fees and submit the DS-260, civil documents, and the Affidavit of Support, then the interview happens at a US embassy or consulate. See consular processing.

If your sibling entered without inspection: adjustment in the US is usually not possible. Leaving for a consular interview can trigger the 3-year or 10-year bar for unlawful presence, and a provisional waiver (Form I-601A) filed before leaving may help in some cases. Talk to a licensed immigration lawyer before anyone leaves the US. See visa denials and waivers.

Older petitions. A person covered by a petition or labor certification filed on or before April 30, 2001 may be able to adjust despite status problems under section 245(i), with an extra fee. This is rare now; ask a lawyer.

The 2026 adjustment of status memo. On May 21, 2026, USCIS issued a policy memo (PM-602-0199) that treats adjustment of status as a discretionary benefit. USCIS said that people who are in the US on a temporary visa and want a green card should expect to apply from their home country, except in extraordinary circumstances. The memo applies to pending and new Form I-485 filings. Meeting the legal requirements is now treated as the minimum: officers weigh your whole record, including whether you used your visa for its stated purpose. Legal challenges were expected, so check the current position before you file.

The 2026 interview freeze. Since August 25, 2026, the State Department has paused scheduling of immigrant visa interviews worldwide while consular officers train on public charge screening. No restart date had been announced as of September 22, 2026. Track it on our immigrant visa pause page.

Travel ban. Nationals of the 39 countries covered by the travel ban (Proclamation 10998, in effect since January 1, 2026) generally cannot receive immigrant visas abroad, and USCIS has held many pending applications from those countries for extra review.

Public charge. A new public charge rule took effect on September 18, 2026. It replaces the 2022 rule with a broader "totality of the circumstances" test of whether you are likely to rely on government support.

Government fees as of September 2026, from the USCIS fee schedule:

Check the USCIS fee calculator before paying. To estimate the total for your situation, try our sponsorship cost estimator.

Each derivative family member pays their own immigrant visa or I-485 fee.