Family-Based Immigration for Siblings of US citizens - US F-4 Visa

What Is the F-4 Visa?

The F-4 visa is part of a category of US immigrant visas called the Family Preference Visas. These visas allow US Lawful Permanent Residents to reunite with their family members. This includes brothers and sisters and if applicable, their spouses and minor unmarried children.

What Are Family Preference Visas?

Family preference visas are for specific, more distant, family relationships with a US citizen and some specified relationships with a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). The number of immigrants in these categories is limited each fiscal year. 

US citizens can file an immigrant visa petition for their:

• Spouse
• Son or daughter
• Parent
• Brother or sister

US Lawful Permanent Residents can only file an immigrant visa petition for their:

• Spouse
• Unmarried son or daughter

Who Can Apply for an F-4 Visa?

To be eligible for the F-4 visa, the US citizen must be at least 21 years old and qualify to bring their siblings to the US. The F-4 visa gives them the opportunity to live in the US, work without the need for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) but only with their Social Security Number, as well as enroll in studies.

What Are the Requirements of the F-4 Visa?

The requirements for the F-4 visa include eligibility conditions for both the siblings of the US citizen who are living in a foreign country, but also for the US citizen who wants to reunite with them.

However, the only requirement for the F-4 visa is that you have a sibling in the US who is a US citizen. You can be married and have children and they would qualify for the F-4 visa too, but it is not a requirement.

As for the US citizen who wants to bring their siblings in the US permanently, you must fulfill these conditions:

• You must be a US citizen
• You must be at least 21 years old
• You must have siblings in a foreign country and prove it through birth certificates or adoption documents
• You must be living in the US and have a valid US address

How to Apply for the F-4 Visa?

The F-4 visa application process must start with the US citizen petitioning for his siblings to join in the US. The petition must be approved so that the siblings and their families can start to apply for the F-4 visa. The siblings cannot start their application and will not be eligible if they apply for a F-4 visa without an approved petition. This means that application is divided in two parts:

• The US Citizen petitions for their adult child, spouse, and minor children to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• When the petition is approved, the adult child and their family must apply to a US Embassy or Consulate in their home country

What Is the Application Process for an F-4 Visa?

The F-4 visa application process must start with the US citizen petitioning for his siblings to join in the US. The petition must be approved so that the siblings and their families can start to apply for the F-4 visa. The siblings cannot start their application and will not be eligible if they apply for a F-4 visa without an approved petition. This means that application is divided in two parts:

• The US Citizen petitions for their adult child, spouse, and minor children to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• When the petition is approved, the adult child and their family must apply to a US Embassy or Consulate in their home country

Step 1: Filing the Petition

The US citizen must petition to USCIS by filing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. The petition must include the sibling as the main person and if the sibling is married and has minor children, it must also list the spouse and the children. This makes it easier for the whole family to get F4 visas if the petition is approved.

The petition is sent through the Department of Homeland Security and is processed within a few months. USCIS will then inform the petitioner whether it was approved or denied. If denied, they will specify the reason and the petitioner can correct the mistakes and send another petition. If the petition is approved, then the documents are sent to the National Visa Center (NVC).

Step 2: Petition Processed

The NVC then sends a package of instructions and documents to the applicants in the foreign country. The documents contain the case number and the invoice ID number. These will be used when the application procedure starts and for the applicants to pay the fees.

When your priority date becomes current, the NVC will inform you that you can start the application process for the F-4 visa. If you as the sibling of a US citizen are married and have minor children, then all of you individually must submit F4 visa applications. This is completed at a US Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence.

Step 3: Getting a Case Number

Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application is the form which all applicants for immigrant visas must submit. You, your spouse, and children must each submit a DS-260 Form. This is an online form in which you must state your background information and reasons for immigration.

To access it, you must enter your NVC case number so that it can link to your approved petition. When you submit the DS-260 form, you will get a confirmation page and number which you must save to send to the NVC with your other supporting documents.

Step 4: Fee Payment and Document Submission

Your documents file must contain all the necessary documentation which supports your case. You must convince the NVC and US Embassy or Consulate that you and your family fulfill all the requirements and are eligible to get the F-4 visa. The file must contain the following:

• Your valid passports for more than 6 months after your planned entry into the US (your passport, your spouse’s, and minor children’s if applicable)
• A signed Form I-864, Affidavit of Support from the US petitioner (applicant’s sibling)
• Form DS-260 confirmation page
• Medical examination and vaccination documents
• Two photographs per individual according to the Photo Requirements for an American Visa
• Your valid marriage certificate to prove your marriage
• Birth certificates or adoption documents of your children
• Court and criminal records and/or police certificate
• If you have been previously married, you must bring divorce or certificates of death to prove the marriage was officially terminated
• If you served in the military, you must bring your military records

Step 5: Visa Interview

All immigrant applicants must go through an interview with an official at the US Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence. After the NVC makes sure that you have sent all the necessary documents, they will schedule this interview for you and you must attend it on time. If your spouse and minor children are also applying with you, they also must accompany you to the interview. The interviewer will ask questions about your background and determine whether you should get the F-4 visa.

Step 6: Visa Approval

If the Embassy approves your visa then it will be stamped on your passport. With that, the Embassy will also give you a package which you must bring with you when you first enter the US. You are not allowed to open the package under any circumstances. An immigration official at the US port of entry will open it and determine whether you are allowed to enter the country or not.

What Are the Required Documents for the F-4 Visa Application?

The required documents for the F-4 Visa application include:

• Your valid passports for more than 6 months after your planned entry into the US (your passport, your spouse’s, and minor children’s if applicable)
• A signed Form I-864, Affidavit of Support from the US petitioner (applicant’s sibling)
• Form DS-260 confirmation page
• Medical examination and vaccination documents
• Two photographs per individual according to the Photo Requirements for an American Visa
• Your valid marriage certificate to prove your marriage
• Birth certificates or adoption documents of your children
• Court and criminal records and/or police certificate

How Much Does the F-4 Visa Cost?

There are various fees that the petitioner and the applicant must pay throughout the application process for the F-4 visa. The amounts vary and are set by USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security and the individual US Embassy or Consulate where you are applying. The main categories of fees that must be paid are as follows:

• Form I-130 filing fee
• Processing fee for the Form DS-260
• Medical examination and vaccination fees
• Fees to get and translate all the supporting documents
• USCIS Immigrant Fee which you must pay after you receive your visa and before you travel to the US. USCIS will not issue you a Green Card without you paying this fee.

How Long Is the F-4 Visa Processing Time?

Since the F-4 visa has a cap on the number of visas issued each yet, the processing time can be very long. An F-4 visa estimated processing time can range from 1 year to extremes of 10 years, which means that it will take long for you to be able to join your sibling in the US.

Is There an Application Cap for F-4 Visas?

The F-4 visa has a cap of 65,000 visas issued each year which limits the number of applications that are accepted and processed by the US government.

Do I Get Access to American Healthcare With an F-4 Visa?

Yes, you will have access to healthcare in the United States as an F-4 visa holder, however, the costs of getting medical treatment in the US are very high. 

Other Types of US Family-Based Immigrant Visas

The Family Green Cards are denoted with the prefix F. There are four types of these visas:

• F-1 visa is given to unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens and their minor children
• F-2 visa is given to the spouse and minor children (F-2A Visa), or adult children (F-2B Visa) of US Lawful Permanent Residents
• F-3 Visa is given to married children of US citizens who will go to the US with their spouses and minor children
• F-4 visa is given to siblings of US citizens who will go to the US with their spouses and minor children. For this visa to apply, the US citizen must be at least 21 years old.