F4 visa

As a Canadian citizen, you must meet specific requirements before applying for the F4 visa. In addition, your sibling who is a U.S. citizen or LPR must also meet some requirements to sponsor your application for F4 status.

As a Canadian applying for the F4 visa;

• You must have a sibling who lives in the U.S. as a U.S. citizen or LPR
• You must be resident in a foreign country at the time of your application

On the other hand, your sibling who wants to sponsor your F4 visa application must meet the following requirement.

• They must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
• Must be at least 21 years old
• They must be residents in the U.S. and have a valid house address
• Must have documents that prove their familial relationship with the person they want to sponsor

Once you and your sponsor meet all the requirements, then you can start your application.

Your U.S. citizen sibling must file and submit Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The petition will include your name as the primary person and must also list your wife’s name and any children below 21 years if you’re married and have children.

Once received, the USCIS will process the petition within a few months, after which they will inform your sponsor of their decision to approve or deny the petition.

If the petition is denied, the USCIS will specify the reasons so that your sponsor can make corrections and submit another application. Upon approval, the USCIS sends the documents to the National Visa Center (NVC), which will then send you a package bearing instructions regarding when and how you can begin your F4 visa application; and documents that contain your case number and invoice ID number, which you will need to pay the application fees and to apply for the visa.

Due to the limit on the number of F4 visas issued each year, you cannot start your application until it is your turn in the chronological order of applicants. Thus, if your number is 76,463, this is beyond 65,000, and you’ll have to wait for the next year to resume your application.

Once your priority date becomes current, the National Visa Center will inform you to start your application process. You and each dependent will submit a separate visa application, and the application process takes place in the following steps.

1. You and your dependents will file the Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application. You will access the form online using your NVC case number so that it can link to your approved petition. After submitting the form, a confirmation page will be generated, which you must print.
2. You and your dependents will complete the mandatory medical examinations and vaccinations required for permanent residence in the U.S. The NVC will inform you of the required checks and vaccines, and you must obtain a signed report from a licensed medical professional. This report will state that you have carried out the checks and received the vaccines.
3. You must compile all the necessary documents, and complete medical examination and vaccination reports that support your visa application. These documents will be sent to the NVC and presented at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
4. When you have submitted all your required documents to the NVC, they will contact you to schedule an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa or any U.S. Consulates within Canada.
5. You and any other dependent applying for the visa must attend the scheduled interview. There, the Consulate officer will ask questions to determine your eligibility for the visa.
6. If the Embassy approves your visa, your passport will be stamped. The Embassy will then give you a package you must take to the U.S. You must not open the package until you get to a U.S. port-of-entry. There, an immigration officer will open the package and determine whether you can enter the country or not.