Nationalities › El Salvador
El Salvador · North America
U.S. visas issued to nationals of El Salvador
The reports below contain preliminary data which are subject to change. Beginning with FY 2020, individual monthly issuance reports should not be aggregated, as this will not provide an accurate issuance total for the fiscal year to date. Instead, refer to our annual Report of the Visa Office for final full Fiscal Year statistics.
In September 2025, 4,504 nonimmigrant visas were issued to nationals of El Salvador, the 24th largest count among 203 nationalities that month; that is down 21% on September 2024 (5,734).
For the full fiscal year the Department's Report of the Visa Office lists 63,790 nonimmigrant visas issued to nationals of El Salvador in FY2024, 0.6% of the 10,969,936 issued worldwide and the 30th largest nationality of 197. The previous year's figure was 59,792 (FY2023).
The largest classes in September 2025 were B1/B2 (temporary visitor for business and pleasure) with 3,994, H2B (temporary worker performing other services) with 209 and A2 (other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family) with 79. 879 immigrant visas were issued to applicants chargeable to El Salvador in the same month, led by IR1 (267) and F2B (193).
The Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (visitor) visa applicants who are nationals of El Salvador was 58.22% in FY2025, above the North America median of 38.12%; it was 52.65% in FY2024. The rate covers B visas only and is the Department's own calculation, counting each applicant once by their final status in the year.
El Salvador does not appear in the Department's Diversity Visa selectee lists for the years on this site, which usually means its nationals were not eligible to enter.
The U.S. post in El Salvador (San Salvador) issued 4,373 nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, to applicants of all nationalities.
Nonimmigrant issuances by month
Compared with the North America region and the world
| Measure | El Salvador | North America (22 nationalities) | All nationalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | 63,790 | 3,215,329 | 10,969,936 |
| Median nationality, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | — | 16,925 | 7,901 |
| Nonimmigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 4,504 | 251,623 | 823,557 |
| Change on Sep 2024 | -21% | — | -11% |
| Immigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 879 | — | 45,966 |
| B-visa adjusted refusal rate, FY2025 | 58.22% | 38.12% | 31.28% |
Fiscal-year rows are the Department's Report of the Visa Office tables; monthly rows are the September 2025 report alone. Region and world refusal figures are medians across the nationalities listed in the Department's table for that year; regions follow the Report of the Visa Office grouping.
Visa classes, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued, FY2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 51,808 | 81.2% |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 8,027 | 12.6% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 719 | 1.1% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 490 | 0.8% |
| H2A | Temporary worker performing agricultural services | 479 | 0.8% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 403 | 0.6% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 337 | 0.5% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 280 | 0.4% |
| U3 | Child of U-1 | 118 | 0.2% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 115 | 0.2% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 110 | 0.2% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 101 | 0.2% |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 96 | 0.2% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 90 | 0.1% |
| K2 | Child of K-1 | 78 | 0.1% |
| C3 | Foreign government official, immediate family, attendant, servant or personal employee, in transit | 66 | 0.1% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 60 | 0.1% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 56 | 0.1% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 56 | 0.1% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 41 | 0.1% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 39 | 0.1% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 31 | 0% |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 31 | 0% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 22 | 0% |
| P3 | Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program | 12 | 0% |
| T4 | Parent of T1 under 21 years of age | 12 | 0% |
| U2 | Spouse of U-1 | 12 | 0% |
| T5 | Unmarried sibling under age 18 of T-1 under 21 years of age | 10 | 0% |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 9 | 0% |
| R2 | Spouse or child of R1 | 9 | 0% |
From the Department's annual NIV detail table (nationality by class). Older symbol spellings in the table (B-1,2; H-1B) are shown in the current form.
Visa classes, September 2025
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 3,994 | 88.7% |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 209 | 4.6% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 79 | 1.8% |
| H2A | Temporary worker performing agricultural services | 39 | 0.9% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 36 | 0.8% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 33 | 0.7% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 23 | 0.5% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 19 | 0.4% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 8 | 0.2% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 8 | 0.2% |
| U3 | Child of U-1 | 8 | 0.2% |
| C3 | Foreign government official, immediate family, attendant, servant or personal employee, in transit | 7 | 0.2% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 7 | 0.2% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 5 | 0.1% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 5 | 0.1% |
| K2 | Child of K-1 | 5 | 0.1% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 4 | 0.1% |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 3 | 0.1% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 3 | 0.1% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 2 | 0% |
| R2 | Spouse or child of R1 | 2 | 0% |
| D | Crewmember (sea or air) | 1 | 0% |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 1 | 0% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 1 | 0% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 1 | 0% |
| U4 | Parent of U-1 under 21 years of age | 1 | 0% |
Immigrant visa classes, September 2025 (foreign state of chargeability)
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 267 | 30.4% |
| F2B | Family second preference (2B): unmarried son or daughter of lawful permanent resident, and child (F24, F25, C24, C25, B24, B25) | 193 | 22% |
| F1 | Family first preference: unmarried son or daughter of U.S. citizen, and child (F11, F12, B11, B12) | 137 | 15.6% |
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 72 | 8.2% |
| IR2 | Child of U.S. citizen | 70 | 8% |
| FX | Family second preference, exempt from country limitations: spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (FX1, FX2, FX3, CX1-CX3, BX1-BX3) | 60 | 6.8% |
| F4 | Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age, spouse and child (F41, F42, F43) | 51 | 5.8% |
| F2A | Family second preference (2A): spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (F21, F22, F23, C21-C23, B21-B23) | 13 | 1.5% |
| F3 | Family third preference: married son or daughter of U.S. citizen, spouse and child (F31, F32, F33, C31-C33, B31-B33) | 7 | 0.8% |
| EW | Employment third preference, other worker (subgroup numerical limit), spouse and child (EW3, EW4, EW5) | 4 | 0.5% |
| SB1 | Returning resident | 2 | 0.2% |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 1 | 0.1% |
| E3 | Employment third preference: skilled worker or professional holding baccalaureate degree, spouse and child (E31, E32, E34, E35) | 1 | 0.1% |
| IW | Certain spouses of deceased U.S. citizens, and their children (IW1, IW2) | 1 | 0.1% |
Nonimmigrant issuances by fiscal year, Report of the Visa Office
| Fiscal year | All classes | Visitors (B) | Students, exchange (F, M, J) | Temporary workers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | 60,875 | 56,824 | 816 | 1,012 | — |
| FY2016 | 51,474 | 47,378 | 815 | 1,029 | -15% |
| FY2017 | 44,428 | 40,448 | 811 | 1,172 | -14% |
| FY2018 | 43,429 | 39,699 | 737 | 1,061 | -2% |
| FY2019 | 40,634 | 36,966 | 811 | 1,109 | -6% |
| FY2020 | 17,929 | 16,201 | 305 | 502 | -56% |
| FY2021 | 20,444 | 16,939 | 608 | 1,501 | +14% |
| FY2022 | 40,642 | 33,173 | 712 | 5,083 | +99% |
| FY2023 | 59,792 | 49,465 | 669 | 7,926 | +47% |
| FY2024 | 63,790 | 51,920 | 661 | 8,952 | +7% |
Fiscal years run October to September. Every row is the Department's final annual detail table for that year; the visitor, student and worker columns add the table's class columns within one year. No monthly reports are summed.
Adjusted B-visa refusal rate by fiscal year
Dark bar: El Salvador. Grey bar: North America median for the same year. The Department's rate covers B visas only; it counts each applicant once, in the status in which the fiscal year ended, so an applicant refused and later issued in the same year counts as an issuance. Source tables: FY2023, FY2024, FY2025.
U.S. posts in El Salvador
- San Salvador: 4,373 nonimmigrant visas issued in Sep 2025, to applicants of all nationalities
Questions and answers
What is the U.S. visa refusal rate for nationals of El Salvador?
The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (business and tourist) visas was 58.22% in FY2025 against a North America median of 38.12%. The Department publishes this rate only for B visas and only by nationality; it counts each applicant once, by the status in which the year ended.
How many U.S. visas were issued to nationals of El Salvador last year?
63,790 nonimmigrant visas in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office, the Department's final annual figure. In September 2025, the latest monthly report, 4,504 were issued.
How does September 2025 compare with a year earlier for El Salvador?
4,504 nonimmigrant visas, down 21% on September 2024 (5,734). Months are compared one to one; the Department says its monthly reports should not be added together.
Which visa classes do nationals of El Salvador receive most?
B1/B2 (51,808), H2B (8,027), A2 (719), C1/D (490) and H2A (479) in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office.
How many DV lottery selectees did El Salvador have?
El Salvador does not appear in the Diversity Visa selectee lists on this site.
Where do nationals of El Salvador apply?
San Salvador is the U.S. post in El Salvador. Nationals may also apply at posts elsewhere, subject to each post's rules, so the nationality figures on this page and the post figures are different counts.
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by nationality, the annual Report of the Visa Office detail tables, the annual adjusted B-visa refusal rate tables and the Diversity Visa selectee pages. Data through 30 Sep 2025.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuances by Nationality and Visa Class; Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuances by Foreign State of Chargeability or Place of Birth and Visa Class; Report of the Visa Office NIV detail tables (workbook); Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality; Diversity Visa selected entrants pages. All public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.