Students on whose behalf American citizen brothers or sisters file petitions qualify for family-based 4th preference. They should be aware that the waiting period until a visa number becomes available under this preference is 15-20 years. This is not a useful category for short-term planning. 40,000 visas annually. No certification through the Department of Labor necessary.
Unused visas go to next category.
40,000 visas annually. Unused visas go to next category. Labor Certification required. Special Immigrants 10,000 visas for ministers of religion, religious workers, certain former US government and international organization employees. For the second and third groups, the person must have a job offer and Labor Certification is required.