The best F4 application tracking app for Vietnamese people: Track USCIS, Visa Bulletin, NVC and CEAC

F4 is one of the family sponsorship categories with the longest waiting time. This is also the type of profile that users often have to track for many years and go through many different systems.

USCIS defines F4 for siblings of US citizens 21 years of age or older, and the sponsor's spouse and eligible children can follow in the derivative category.

Because F4 belongs to Family Preference, the number of visas is limited every year. The Department of State currently stipulates that F4 has a base allocation of 65,000 visas per year, plus unused visas from previous priority groups if any.

Why does F4 need a separate tracking tool?

An F4 profile does not have just one status.

During the waiting process, users may need to monitor:

USCIS

Priority Date

Visa Bulletin

NVC

CEAC

Interview schedule

Papers

If you check each system separately, it is easy for the following situation to occur:

* Forgot Priority Date.

* It is unknown how far Visa Bulletin has progressed.

* Did not realize the application had moved to the NVC stage.

* Don't know what documents need to be prepared.

* Slow to respond when profile is updated.

Especially with F4, long-term monitoring makes manual management increasingly difficult.

Where is F4 August 2026?

According to Visa Bulletin August 2026, F4 has Final Action Date for All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed as 01SEP09.

Dates for Filing of F4 for this group is 22JUN10. Regions such as Mexico, Philippines, India and China-mainland born have different dates.

This shows that simply saying "What year is F4 coming?" is not enough.

The user needs to compare the Priority Date of the profile itself with the correct table and correct chargeability.

Why shouldn't you just use one website to track F4?

USCIS primarily reflects the petition stage.

But as the application progresses through the immigrant visa process, NVC and CEAC become important systems.

Meanwhile, the Visa Bulletin is updated monthly by the Department of State to reflect visa issuance capabilities for Family Preference groups.

Therefore, a tool that only checks USCIS will not be able to reflect the entire journey of an F4 application.

What should a good F4 tracker track?

A truly useful system for F4 should have at least 6 data layers.

1. USCIS

Track receipts, processing and approvals.

2. Priority Date

Save your priority date and use it as a central landmark.

3. Visa Bulletin

Track Final Action Date and Dates for Filing month by month.

4. NVC

Follow up when your application enters the visa processing stage.

5. CEAC

Track visa application status and related steps.

6. Interview

Follow along as your application progresses to the interview stage.

This is a true F4 tracker.

Should I calculate my F4 time using Visa Bulletin?

It should not be considered an exact calculation.

Visa Bulletin is not a countdown timer.

The Department of State determines cut-off dates based on visa availability, application needs and legal limitations. These dates are subject to change, stand still or retrogress if necessary.

So, a better way is to save the Visa Bulletin history and observe the trends.

For example, instead of just asking:

“How many years left in F4?”

should follow:

How far is my Priority Date from the Final Action Date?

and:

How is Visa Bulletin progressing over the months?

After F4 Approved, do I still need to follow up?

Have.

This is one of the common misunderstandings.

I-130 Approved means the petition has been approved by USCIS.

It does not mean the immigrant visa number is ready.

F4 remains under Family Preference and is subject to visa restrictions.

Therefore, after Approved, users still need to continue monitoring Priority Date, Visa Bulletin and the next steps.

What happens when the application arrives at NVC?

This is when tracking is even more important.

NVC processes the immigrant visa application before it is forwarded to the appropriate consulate.

Users may be required to complete:

* Visa fee.

* DS-260.

* Affidavit of Support.

* Civil documents.

* Supporting documents.

* Translation.

If not monitored regularly, users may miss requests or lose processing time due to missing documents.

Should F4 prepare documents in advance?

Have.

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