How to Sponsor Parents, Siblings and Adult Children for a Green Card (2026 Wait Times)

A US citizen who is 21 or older can sponsor parents with no waiting line, but brothers, sisters and married adult children wait years, sometimes decades, in capped categories. Green card holders cannot sponsor parents or siblings at all. In October 2026, USCIS is using the Visa Bulletin’s Dates for Filing chart for family cases, and the sibling (F4) cutoff for most countries sits at November 1, 2011.

Key points

• Parents of a US citizen aged 21+ are immediate relatives: no annual cap, no priority date wait.
• Siblings (F4) and married sons and daughters (F3) face the longest backlogs; the October 2026 filing cutoff for most countries is 2011 (F4) and 2014 (F3).
• Every case starts with Form I-130 ($675 paper / $625 online as of October 2026).
• The sponsor must sign an Affidavit of Support (I-864) and meet income rules.
• In 2026, the travel ban, the new public charge rule and consular vetting can block or slow cases.

Who can sponsor whom

Relative	Sponsor must be	Category	Annual cap?
Parent	US citizen, age 21+	Immediate relative	No cap
Unmarried son or daughter, 21+	US citizen	F1	Yes
Unmarried son or daughter, 21+	Green card holder	F2B	Yes
Married son or daughter (any age)	US citizen	F3	Yes
Brother or sister	US citizen, age 21+	F4	Yes

Sources: USCIS family of US citizens and State Department family immigration. The family preference categories share a limit of 226,000 visas a year, and no single country can use more than 7% of the combined family and employment preference numbers. That per-country cap is why Mexico, the Philippines and India often wait longer than everyone else.

A green card holder who wants to sponsor parents or siblings has to become a citizen first. Our N-400 continuous residence and physical presence guide explains when you can apply.

How long each category waits (October 2026)

Your place in line is your priority date, which is the date USCIS received your I-130. You can move forward when your priority date is earlier than the cutoff in the Visa Bulletin. For a full explanation, read how to read the Visa Bulletin.

USCIS confirmed that for October 2026, family-based adjustment of status applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart (USCIS filing charts page). Those dates are below.

October 2026 family Dates for Filing

Category	Most countries	China	India	Mexico	Philippines
F1 (unmarried children of citizens)	01 Feb 2020	01 Feb 2020	01 Feb 2020	01 Dec 2008	22 Apr 2015
F2A (spouses and children of LPRs)	Current	Current	Current	Current	Current
F2B (unmarried adult children of LPRs)	01 Sep 2019	01 Sep 2019	01 Sep 2019	22 Mar 2011	01 Oct 2014
F3 (married children of citizens)	01 Nov 2014	01 Nov 2014	01 Nov 2014	01 Dec 2002	22 Oct 2006
F4 (siblings of citizens)	01 Nov 2011	01 Nov 2011	01 Feb 2007	30 Apr 2001	22 Mar 2009

Figures as transcribed from the October 2026 Visa Bulletin by several independent sources. Always confirm against the official bulletin.

The Final Action Dates (when a green card can actually be approved or a visa issued) are later still in several categories. In October 2026, for example, F2B for most countries had a Final Action Date of August 22, 2019, F4 India was December 15, 2006, and F4 Philippines was May 15, 2008. Consular applicants follow National Visa Center instructions, which are tied to the Final Action chart for interview scheduling.

What these numbers mean in practice

• A US citizen who filed for a sibling from most countries in late 2011 is only now reaching the filing stage. That is roughly a 15-year wait from I-130 to green card eligibility, and it can move backward (retrogress) in any month.
• A citizen sponsoring a married daughter in Mexico is looking at a cutoff in 2002.
• If you file for a parent today, there is no line. Your wait is just USCIS and consular processing time, which you can check with the official processing times tool.

The process, step by step

1. File Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with proof of your citizenship (or green card for F2B) and proof of the relationship, such as your birth certificate showing the parent’s name, or birth certificates for both siblings showing at least one shared parent.
2. Wait for approval and, for preference categories, for your priority date to become current.
3. Choose a path:
   • Consular processing: the case goes to the National Visa Center, the sponsor submits the Affidavit of Support and civil documents, and your relative interviews at a US embassy or consulate.
   • Adjustment of status: if the relative is lawfully in the US and eligible, they file Form I-485 when their date is current under the chart USCIS accepts that month. Relatives who entered without inspection generally cannot adjust; get legal advice.
4. Affidavit of Support (I-864): the petitioner promises financial support and must meet an income threshold (generally 125% of the federal poverty guidelines for the household size). A joint sponsor can help if your income is too low.
5. Interview and decision.

Fees for the main forms (as of October 2026)

Item	Fee
I-130, paper / online	$675 / $625
I-485 (age 14+), paper / online	$1,440 / $1,390
USCIS Immigrant Fee (consular cases, paid after visa issued)	$235
State Department visa and affidavit fees	See travel.state.gov fees

USCIS fees from the G-1055 fee schedule dated 10/07/26. See our USCIS fees 2026 table for more.

2026 risks to know before you file

Travel ban and the lost immediate-relative exception

Proclamation 10998, effective January 1, 2026, restricts entry from 39 countries (19 full, 20 partial) and removed the exception for immediate relatives that existed under earlier bans. That means parents of US citizens from restricted countries can have an approved I-130 but still be unable to get an immigrant visa. Our US travel ban countries list has the full list and exceptions.

Immigrant visa pauses

In January 2026, the State Department paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries for a public charge review. A federal court vacated that pause on August 21, 2026. Reports since then indicate the State Department told posts in September 2026 that the pauses were no longer in effect, but we could not confirm this from a primary source. If your relative is from an affected country, check your embassy’s website and NVC status before booking travel.

The 2026 public charge rule

For green card applications filed on or after September 18, 2026, USCIS applies a new case-by-case “totality of circumstances” public charge test. Age, health, income, and the sponsor’s affidavit all matter, which is relevant for elderly parents. See our 2026 public charge rule guide.

Vetting and processing delays

Most visa applicants now need an in-person interview, must apply in their country of nationality or residence, and may be held in 221(g) administrative processing. Build extra time into any plans.

Common questions about specific situations

• Can I sponsor my parent and have my parent bring my younger siblings? A parent who gets a green card as an immediate relative cannot bring dependents along. Once the parent is a permanent resident, they can file F2A or F2B petitions for their own children, or you can file F4 petitions.
• My sibling has a spouse and children. In preference categories (F1, F2B, F3, F4), the spouse and unmarried children under 21 can usually immigrate as derivatives on the same petition.
• My unmarried adult child gets married. Marriage moves an F1 beneficiary to F3 (longer wait) and ends an F2B petition entirely. Talk to an attorney before major life changes.

What to do next

1. Confirm the category using the table above, and that you meet the sponsor rules (citizen, age 21+ for parents and siblings).
2. File the I-130 as early as possible; your priority date is what holds your place in line.
3. Check the monthly bulletin, starting with our October 2026 Visa Bulletin summary.
4. If your relative is from a travel-ban country, has prior immigration violations, or is in the US without status, consult a licensed immigration attorney before filing.
5. Follow our US hub and updates page for changes.