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Hong Kong S.A.R. · Asia
U.S. visas issued to nationals of Hong Kong S.A.R.
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.
Nationals of Hong Kong S.A.R. were issued 4,284 U.S. nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, up 17% on September 2024 (3,676), the 29th largest nationality of 203 in the month's table.
For the full fiscal year the Department's Report of the Visa Office lists 58,754 nonimmigrant visas issued to nationals of Hong Kong S.A.R. in FY2024, 0.5% of the 10,969,936 issued worldwide and the 32nd largest nationality of 197. The previous year's figure was 47,778 (FY2023).
The largest classes in September 2025 were B1/B2 (temporary visitor for business and pleasure) with 3,934, C1/D (combined transit and crewmember visa) with 116 and F1 (student in an academic or language training program) with 75. 54 immigrant visas were issued to applicants chargeable to Hong Kong S.A.R. in the same month, led by F4 (14) and IR5 (7).
The Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (visitor) visa applicants who are nationals of Hong Kong S.A.R. was 7.72% in FY2025, below the Asia median of 25.20%; it was 6.16% 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.
In the Diversity Visa program, 569 entrants chargeable to Hong Kong S.A.R. were selected for DV-2021, 0.4% of all selectees that year; the count was 92 for DV-2020. Selection is not a visa; the Department's pages explain that selectees must still qualify and that more are selected than there are visas.
The U.S. post in Hong Kong S.A.R. (Hong Kong) issued 5,539 nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, to applicants of all nationalities.
Nonimmigrant issuances by month
Compared with the Asia region and the world
| Measure | Hong Kong S.A.R. | Asia (40 nationalities) | All nationalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | 58,754 | 3,601,133 | 10,969,936 |
| Median nationality, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | — | 17,838 | 7,901 |
| Nonimmigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 4,284 | 271,934 | 823,557 |
| Change on Sep 2024 | +17% | — | -11% |
| Immigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 54 | — | 45,966 |
| B-visa adjusted refusal rate, FY2025 | 7.72% | 25.20% | 31.28% |
| DV-2021 selectees | 569 | — | 132,404 |
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 | 52,418 | 89.2% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 2,618 | 4.5% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 1,247 | 2.1% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 572 | 1% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 322 | 0.5% |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 300 | 0.5% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 201 | 0.3% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 190 | 0.3% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 151 | 0.3% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 142 | 0.2% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 104 | 0.2% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 77 | 0.1% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 71 | 0.1% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 56 | 0.1% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 49 | 0.1% |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 45 | 0.1% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 39 | 0.1% |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 18 | 0% |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 17 | 0% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 16 | 0% |
| B2 | Temporary visitor for pleasure | 15 | 0% |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 15 | 0% |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 13 | 0% |
| P3 | Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program | 12 | 0% |
| R2 | Spouse or child of R1 | 10 | 0% |
| E3D | Spouse or child of Australian specialty occupation professional | 8 | 0% |
| K2 | Child of K-1 | 7 | 0% |
| Q1 | Participant in an international cultural exchange program | 7 | 0% |
| TD | Spouse or child of TN | 5 | 0% |
| H3 | Trainee | 4 | 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 | 3,934 | 91.8% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 116 | 2.7% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 75 | 1.8% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 29 | 0.7% |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 26 | 0.6% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 23 | 0.5% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 21 | 0.5% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 17 | 0.4% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 10 | 0.2% |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 8 | 0.2% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 7 | 0.2% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 6 | 0.1% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 5 | 0.1% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 3 | 0.1% |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 2 | 0% |
| Q1 | Participant in an international cultural exchange program | 2 | 0% |
Immigrant visa classes, September 2025 (foreign state of chargeability)
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| F4 | Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age, spouse and child (F41, F42, F43) | 14 | 25.9% |
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 7 | 13% |
| F3 | Family third preference: married son or daughter of U.S. citizen, spouse and child (F31, F32, F33, C31-C33, B31-B33) | 6 | 11.1% |
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 5 | 9.3% |
| EW | Employment third preference, other worker (subgroup numerical limit), spouse and child (EW3, EW4, EW5) | 4 | 7.4% |
| I5 | Investor pilot program (regional center) in targeted area, spouse and child (I51-I53) | 4 | 7.4% |
| IR2 | Child of U.S. citizen | 4 | 7.4% |
| FX | Family second preference, exempt from country limitations: spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (FX1, FX2, FX3, CX1-CX3, BX1-BX3) | 2 | 3.7% |
| IH4 | Child to be adopted in U.S. by U.S. citizen under Hague Convention | 2 | 3.7% |
| RR3 | Child of RR1 | 2 | 3.7% |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 1 | 1.9% |
| F1 | Family first preference: unmarried son or daughter of U.S. citizen, and child (F11, F12, B11, B12) | 1 | 1.9% |
| F2A | Family second preference (2A): spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (F21, F22, F23, C21-C23, B21-B23) | 1 | 1.9% |
| IW | Certain spouses of deceased U.S. citizens, and their children (IW1, IW2) | 1 | 1.9% |
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 | 61,288 | 54,266 | 4,222 | 1,098 | — |
| FY2016 | 68,834 | 61,875 | 4,060 | 1,081 | +12% |
| FY2017 | 69,069 | 62,389 | 4,097 | 1,217 | 0% |
| FY2018 | 69,450 | 62,207 | 3,694 | 1,193 | +1% |
| FY2019 | 64,378 | 57,790 | 4,015 | 1,088 | -7% |
| FY2020 | 20,871 | 18,212 | 1,471 | 620 | -68% |
| FY2021 | 9,970 | 6,745 | 2,423 | 307 | -52% |
| FY2022 | 20,360 | 16,741 | 2,580 | 547 | +104% |
| FY2023 | 47,778 | 41,913 | 3,436 | 1,285 | +135% |
| FY2024 | 58,754 | 52,537 | 3,591 | 1,286 | +23% |
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: Hong Kong S.A.R.. Grey bar: Asia 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.
Diversity Visa selectees by program year
| Program year | Selectees chargeable to Hong Kong S.A.R. | Share of all selectees | All selectees |
|---|---|---|---|
| DV-2016 | 151 | 0.2% | 91,563 |
| DV-2017 | 37 | 0% | 83,910 |
| DV-2018 | 84 | 0.1% | 115,968 |
| DV-2019 | 69 | 0.1% | 87,610 |
| DV-2020 | 92 | 0.1% | 83,884 |
| DV-2021 | 569 | 0.4% | 132,404 |
Counts of selected entrants as published on the Department's "selected entrants" pages; no names are published or held. Selection is not a visa: the Department selects more entrants than visas available, and DV visas are issued only to selectees who qualify before the program year ends.
U.S. posts in Hong Kong S.A.R.
- Hong Kong: 5,539 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 Hong Kong S.A.R.?
The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (business and tourist) visas was 7.72% in FY2025 against a Asia median of 25.20%. 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 Hong Kong S.A.R. last year?
58,754 nonimmigrant visas in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office, the Department's final annual figure. In September 2025, the latest monthly report, 4,284 were issued.
How does September 2025 compare with a year earlier for Hong Kong S.A.R.?
4,284 nonimmigrant visas, up 17% on September 2024 (3,676). Months are compared one to one; the Department says its monthly reports should not be added together.
Which visa classes do nationals of Hong Kong S.A.R. receive most?
B1/B2 (52,418), F1 (2,618), C1/D (1,247), J1 (572) and H1B (322) in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office.
How many DV lottery selectees did Hong Kong S.A.R. have?
569 for DV-2021, 0.4% of all selectees. Earlier years: DV-2017 37, DV-2018 84, DV-2019 69, DV-2020 92. Being selected is not a visa; the Department selects more entrants than there are visas available.
Where do nationals of Hong Kong S.A.R. apply?
Hong Kong is the U.S. post in Hong Kong S.A.R.. 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.