The F4 visa is part of a category of US immigrant visas called Family Preference Visas. These visas allow legal permanent residents of the United States to reunite with their family members. This includes brothers and sisters and, if applicable, their spouses and unmarried minor children.
To be eligible for the F4 visa, the U.S. citizen must be at least 21 years old and eligible to bring his or her siblings to the United States. The F4 visa allows them to live in the United States, work without the need for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) but only with their Social Security Number, as well as enroll in studies.
The F4 visa has a limit of 65,000 visas issued each year, which limits the number of applications accepted and processed by the US government.
What are the F4 visa requirements?
The requirements for the F4 visa include eligibility conditions both for the US citizen’s siblings living in a foreign country, but also for the US citizen who wants to reunite with them.
However, the only requirement for the F4 visa is that you have a sibling in the United States who is a US citizen. You can be married and have children and they would also qualify for the F4 visa, but it is not a requirement.
As for the US citizen who wants to bring their siblings to the United States permanently, these conditions must be met:
- You must be a US citizen
- You must be at least 21 years old
- You must provide birth certificates or adoption paperwork to prove that you have siblings living abroad
- You must live in the United States and have a valid US address
How to apply for the F4 visa?
The F4 visa application process must begin with the US citizen requesting that his or her siblings join the United States. The petition will need to be approved for the siblings and their families to begin applying for the F4 visa. Siblings will not be able to start the application and will not be eligible if they apply for an F4 visa without an approved petition. This means that the application is divided into two parts:
U.S. citizens file petitions for their adult child, spouse, and minor children with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Once the petition is approved, the adult child and his or her family must apply to the U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country
Presentation of the petition
The US citizen must file a petition with USCIS by completing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. The application must include the sibling as the principal person and if the sibling is married and has minor children it must also list the spouse and children. This makes it easier for the whole family to obtain F4 visas if the petition is approved.
The petition is submitted through the Department of Homeland Security and is processed within a few months. USCIS will then inform the applicant whether it has been approved or denied. If rejected, they will specify the reason and the signatory can correct the errors and submit another application. If the petition is approved, the documents are sent to the National Visa Center (NVC).
The NVC then sends a package of instructions and documents to applicants in the foreign country. The documents contain the case number and the invoice identification number. These will be used when starting the application process and for payment of fees by applicants.
However, due to the cap on the number of F4 visas available each year, applicants cannot start the application process until their priority date is effective. This means that you can only apply for the F4 visa when it is your turn in the chronological order of all F4 visa applications. For example, if there are so many applications that you exceed the two-year limit, your application will be processed in the third year.
F-2A Visa Application:
When your priority date becomes effective, the NVC will notify you that you can begin the application process for the F4 visa. If you, as a sibling of a US citizen, are married and have minor children, then all of you individually must apply for the F4 visa. This is completed at a U.S. embassy or consulate in your country of residence.
DS-260 file form:
Form DS-260, Electronic Immigrant Visa Application is the form that all immigrant visa applicants must submit. You, your spouse, and your children must each file a Form DS-260. This is an online form where you need to indicate your basic information and reasons for immigration. To access it, you must enter your NVC case number so it can link to your approved petition. When you submit Form DS-260, you will receive a confirmation page and number that you will need to save to submit to the NVC along with your other supporting documents.
Complete medical examination and vaccination:
All immigrant applicants to the United States must meet medical and vaccination requirements if they wish to live permanently in the country. For this reason, the NVC will inform you what medical checks and vaccines you and your family will need to undergo to complete the requirements for the F4 visa. You need to visit licensed doctors, get vaccines and fill out documents signed by the doctor. These documents will be attached as supporting documents when you submit them to the NVC.
Compile document files:
Your document file must contain all the necessary documentation to support your case. You must convince the NVC and the US embassy or consulate that you and your family meet all the requirements and are eligible to obtain the F4 visa. The file must contain the following:
Your passports are valid for more than 6 months after intended entry into the United States (your passport, that of your spouse, and that of your minor children, if applicable)
- A signed Form I-864 Affidavit of Support from the U.S. petitioner (petitioner’s brother)
- DS-260 form confirmation page
- Medical examination and vaccination documents
- Two photographs per individual as per the photography requirements for a US visa
- Your valid marriage certificate to prove your marriage
- Birth certificates or adoption documents for your children
- Judicial and criminal records and/or police certificate
- If you have been previously married, you must bring your divorce or death certificates to show that the marriage has been officially dissolved
- If you served in the military, you must bring your military documents with you
Attend the interview:
All immigrant applicants must interview with an official at the U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of residence. After the NVC ensures that you have submitted all the necessary documents, they will schedule this interview for you and you will need to show up on time. If your spouse and minor children are also applying with you, they will also have to accompany you to the interview. The interviewer will ask you questions about your background and determine whether you should get the F4 visa.
Get the NVC package and travel to the United States:
If the Embassy approves your visa, it will be stamped in your passport. In addition to this, the Embassy will also give you a package that you will need to bring with you when you enter the United States for the first time. It is not allowed to open the package under any circumstances. An immigration officer at the U.S. port of entry will open it and determine whether or not you are allowed to enter the country.
How much does the F4 visa cost?
There are various fees that the applicant and applicant need to pay throughout the F4 visa application process. The Department of Homeland Security, USCIS, and the specific US embassy or consulate to which you are applying determine the fees, which can vary. The main categories of fees to be paid are the following:
- Form I-130 filing fee
- Processing fee for DS-260 form
- Expenses for medical visits and vaccinations
- Fees for obtaining and translating all supporting documents
USCIS immigrant fee that you must pay after receiving your visa and before traveling to the United States. USCIS will not issue you a green card without you paying this fee.
How long is the F4 visa processing time?
Since the F4 visa still has a limit on the number of visas issued, processing times can be very long. The estimated length of an F4 visa can range from 1 year up to a maximum of 10 years, meaning it will take a long time before you can join your brother in the United States.
Can I access American healthcare with an F4 visa?
Yes, you will have access to healthcare in the United States as an F4 visa holder, however, the costs of obtaining medical care in the United States are among the highest in the world.
Treating a broken leg or broken arm will cost you $2,500, while hospitalization in a US hospital can cost over $10,000 on average. You should choose the health insurance plan that is best for you, which is overall also affordable and covers your needs.
Other types of visas for family-based immigrants in the United States:
Family Green Cards are marked with the prefix F. There are four types of these visas:
- The F-1 visa is granted to unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their minor children
- The F-2 visa is granted to the spouse and minor children (F-2A visa) or adult children (F-2B visa) of lawful permanent residents of the United States
- The F-3 visa is granted to married children of U.S. citizens who will be going to the United States with their spouses and minor children
- The F4 visa is granted to siblings of US citizens who are going to the United States with their spouse and minor children. To apply for this visa, the US citizen must be at least 21 years old.