Filing GC for sister who lives here

[Vandana Kadia]

I wanted to ask you on behalf of my friend. So my friend is a US citizen and she wanted to file GC for her sister who came here on a visitor visa and currently she’s on F1. She basically converted her visitor visa into F1. She changed her status so that she can stay here. She’s living here. She’s currently doing a certification course in a college. She came here with her two kids and husband in 2018. So can my friend file GC for her sister or not?  How long can her sister stay here on an F1 visa?

Thanks!
 

[Attorney_17]

A US citizen may file a petition for their sibling under the Family Based 4th preference category. However, since the dates for this category are substantially backlogged, the beneficiary would need to maintain non-immigrant status until the priority date is current and the I-485 can be filed.