Quick Question - Siblings of US Citizen

[Roosha 51]

Hello All! I've been searching for the past hour and it seems like currently the wait time for a F4 visa (siblings of US Citizens) is 10 years!! Is this true? I thought it was 5 years? Thanks for any and all advice!

[NancyNguyen 1,657]

F4 priority date is currently April 2003 (except Mexico and Philippians) , almost 13 yrs, not 10 yrs buddy. 5 years - 10 years for uscis approval only, not visa number.

[Anh map 2,098]

As Nancy said, around 13 years for most. Refer to the Visa Bulletin here >>> https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/bulletin/2016/visa-bulletin-for-march-2016.html

[Hypnos 6,576]

19 years for Mexico.

24 years for the Philippines.

13 years for everyone else.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

With the way it's going it'll likely be close to 20 soon.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

There is a limited number of visa for this class, for people that filed 14 or more years ago , numbers are just becoming available now. For people that file today , they are likely to wait 20 -40 years if there are no changes in the process. ( The person just getting at the back of a expanding line is unlikely to move faster than the person at the front )

[Roosha 51]

Wow. So many people said that it's taking less time now, only 5 years! This is why i do research ugh. But wait Nancy are you saying that it's taking 5 years for USCIS to approve the i-130? Are you serious? How long does it take to look at birth certificates and compare names and approve? What is wrong with these people?

[Unlockable 7,314]

Wow. So many people said that it's taking less time now, only 5 years! This is why i do research ugh. But wait Nancy are you saying that it's taking 5 years for USCIS to approve the i-130? Are you serious? How long does it take to look at birth certificates and compare names and approve? What is wrong with these people?

Nothing is wrong with them. It is just that siblings of USC aren't considered high priority over others so the process takes that much longer. Sorry. It's just the way it is.

As you can see below the F4 category is at the bottom of the list. Add to the fact that there is only a limited number that is allowed per year and you have a loooong wait.

Directly from the travelstate.gov site:

Overview - Family-Based Immigrant Visas

Two groups of family based immigrant visa categories, including immediate relatives and family preference categories, are provided under the provisions of United States immigration law, specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Immediate Relative Immigrant Visas (Unlimited): These visa types are based on a close family relationship with a United States (U.S.) citizen described as an Immediate Relative (IR). The number of immigrants in these categories is not limited each fiscal year. Immediate relative visa types include:

• IR-1: Spouse of a U.S. Citizen -
• IR-2: Unmarried Child Under 21 Years of Age of a U.S. Citizen
• IR-3: Orphan adopted abroad by a U.S. Citizen -
• IR-4: Orphan to be adopted in the U.S. by a U.S. citizen -
• IR-5: Parent of a U.S. Citizen who is at least 21 years old

Family Preference Immigrant Visas (Limited): These visa types are for specific, more distant, family relationships with a U.S. citizen and some specified relationships with a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). There are fiscal year numerical limitations on family preference immigrants, shown at the end of each category. The family preference categories are:

• Family First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their minor children, if any. (23,400)
• Family Second Preference (F2): Spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 and over) of LPRs. At least seventy-seven percent of all visas available for this category will go to the spouses and children; the remainder is allocated to unmarried sons and daughters. (114,200)
• Family Third Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and minor children. (23,400)
• Family Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and minor children, provided the U.S. citizens are at least 21 years of age. (65,000)

Note: Grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins cannot sponsor a relative for immigration.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,388]

Wow. So many people said that it's taking less time now, only 5 years! This is why i do research ugh. But wait Nancy are you saying that it's taking 5 years for USCIS to approve the i-130? Are you serious? How long does it take to look at birth certificates and compare names and approve? What is wrong with these people?

There is no point in USCIS hurrying up in approving those I-130s as the beneficiary cannot apply for the visa anyway until the visa number becomes available. (And that takes 13 years right now.)

[JFH 12,189]

And why do siblings need to emigrate anyway? Most other countries don't have such a policy that allows people to become residents just because their sibling is a citizen. My brother brought his wife from Mexico to the UK. She is now a British citizen but cannot petition for any family members. They must find their own way of getting here (student or employment visas, for example). I intend to take citizenship when I am eligible but the thought of bringing my siblings had never crossed my mind. I don't need them near me and they have their own lives.

I find the whole concept quite bizarre. In fact, the wait is now getting so long that I can see that route being withdrawn in due course. It will come to a natural end when no one else joins the line because it will be over 20 years long.

[Roosha 51]

Nothing is wrong with them. It is just that siblings of USC aren't considered high priority over others so the process takes that much longer. Sorry. It's just the way it is.

As you can see below the F4 category is at the bottom of the list. Add to the fact that there is only a limited number that is allowed per year and you have a loooong wait.

Right and I know that info, just wondering why the first approval takes so long since it's just reviewing the proof of relationships between the two parties. I didn't say anything about the wait for a visa number.

There is no point in USCIS hurrying up in approving those I-130s as the beneficiary cannot apply for the visa anyway until the visa number becomes available. (And that takes 13 years right now.)

Good Point!!

And why do siblings need to emigrate anyway? Most other countries don't have such a policy that allows people to become residents just because their sibling is a citizen. My brother brought his wife from Mexico to the UK. She is now a British citizen but cannot petition for any family members. They must find their own way of getting here (student or employment visas, for example). I intend to take citizenship when I am eligible but the thought of bringing my siblings had never crossed my mind. I don't need them near me and they have their own lives.

I find the whole concept quite bizarre. In fact, the wait is now getting so long that I can see that route being withdrawn in due course. It will come to a natural end when no one else joins the line because it will be over 20 years long.

Just because you don't want or need your siblings near you doesn't mean the rest of us are the same. I prefer family around, constantly. They help me and I help them, living alone is depressing to me.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

And why do siblings need to emigrate anyway? Most other countries don't have such a policy that allows people to become residents just because their sibling is a citizen. My brother brought his wife from Mexico to the UK. She is now a British citizen but cannot petition for any family members. They must find their own way of getting here (student or employment visas, for example). I intend to take citizenship when I am eligible but the thought of bringing my siblings had never crossed my mind. I don't need them near me and they have their own lives.

I find the whole concept quite bizarre. In fact, the wait is now getting so long that I can see that route being withdrawn in due course. It will come to a natural end when no one else joins the line because it will be over 20 years long.

Whole heartedly agree. It's a category that should be abolished to be honest

[newacct 688]

Nothing is wrong with them. It is just that siblings of USC aren't considered high priority over others so the process takes that much longer. Sorry. It's just the way it is.

And in fact, USCIS often intentionally takes a long time on those categories, because the longer the petition remains pending (as long as it's shorter than the wait for visa numbers), the better it is for the immigrants, for CSPA aging out purposes.

[Roosha 51]

Whole heartedly agree. It's a category that should be abolished to be honest

Hmmmmm, good thing you're only able to post your opinion on a forum then.

[Roosha 51]

And in fact, USCIS often intentionally takes a long time on those categories, because the longer the petition remains pending (as long as it's shorter than the wait for visa numbers), the better it is for the immigrants, for CSPA aging out purposes.

What do you mean? Can you expand please?