The F4 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.
To be eligible for the F4 visa, the US citizen must be at least 21 years old and qualify to bring their siblings to the US. The F4 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.
The F4 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. The waiting time for visa processing is currently 12 or more years.
What are the requirements for the F4 Visa?
The requirements for the F4 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 F4 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 F4 visa too, but it is not a requirement.
As for the US citizen who wants to bring their siblings to the US permanently, they 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
