How Long Is the Wait for a Sibling (F4) Green Card in 2026?
TL;DR: The F4 category — US citizens sponsoring their siblings — is the most backlogged family preference category. The August 2026 Visa Bulletin shows F4 priority dates of June 22, 2010 for most countries, December 15, 2006 for India, April 8, 2001 for Mexico, and March 22, 2008 for the Philippines — meaning most F4 applicants are waiting well over 15 years, and Mexico-born siblings face waits exceeding 20 years.
Claim
Sponsoring a sibling for a green card is legally possible under INA §203(a)(4), but it is by far the slowest family-based path — often quoted in decades, not years, because of how few visas are allocated to this category each year relative to demand.
Evidence
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for August 2026 lists F4 final action dates by chargeability area: June 22, 2010 (worldwide/most countries), June 22, 2010 (China), December 15, 2006 (India), April 8, 2001 (Mexico), and March 22, 2008 (Philippines). Because current filings are only reached once a petition's priority date (the date the I-130 was filed) becomes current, someone filing an F4 petition today should expect the sibling to wait until their priority date range is reached — which, based on current backlogs, points to waits of roughly 15-25+ years depending on country of chargeability.
Comparison Table: F4 Priority Dates by Country (August 2026 Visa Bulletin)
| Country | F4 Final Action Date (Aug 2026) | Approximate wait for a new filer |
|---|---|---|
| All other countries | June 22, 2010 | ~16 years |
| China (mainland) | June 22, 2010 | ~16 years |
| India | December 15, 2006 | ~19-20 years |
| Mexico | April 8, 2001 | ~25 years |
| Philippines | March 22, 2008 | ~18 years |
Step-by-Step: Sponsoring a Sibling
- Confirm you are a US citizen — only US citizens, not green card holders, can sponsor siblings; there is no F4-equivalent category for LPR sponsors.
- File Form I-130 as soon as possible, since the priority date (filing date) is what eventually determines the sibling's place in line.
- Track the Visa Bulletin monthly at travel.state.gov for the F4 final action date in your sibling's country of chargeability.
- Prepare for a multi-decade wait — this is the reality of the F4 backlog, and it's important to set expectations accordingly.
- Explore whether another category applies sooner, such as if the sibling separately qualifies for an employment-based category, since family and employment backlogs are calculated independently.
FAQ
Can a green card holder (not a US citizen) sponsor a sibling? No. Sibling sponsorship (F4) is only available to US citizens, not lawful permanent residents.
Why is the F4 backlog so much longer than other family categories? F4 receives a smaller annual allocation of the total family-preference visa numbers relative to demand, especially from high-demand countries like Mexico, India, and the Philippines, which compounds the backlog over decades.
Does the wait time ever get shorter? It can shift month to month based on visa number usage and country-specific demand, but the F4 category has remained the most backlogged family category for many years running.
By Pinal Dave
Last updated: 2026-08-06