Months › March 2017
March 2017 · all posts · fiscal year 2017
U.S. visa issuances in March 2017
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.
U.S. posts issued 907,166 nonimmigrant visas in March 2017.
51,657 immigrant visas were issued in the month.
The largest posts were Shanghai (54,366), Beijing (46,545) and Mexico City (43,600); 223 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 68.4%, BBBCC at 8.6% and J1 at 3.6% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Mar 2017
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Mar 2017
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | China | 54,366 | 0 | — | — |
| Beijing | China | 46,545 | 0 | — | — |
| Mexico City | Mexico | 43,600 | 0 | — | — |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 32,582 | 0 | — | — |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 31,211 | 43 | — | — |
| Guangzhou | China | 28,094 | 3,382 | — | — |
| Chennai | India | 27,445 | 0 | — | — |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 27,191 | 0 | — | — |
| Bogota | Colombia | 26,974 | 594 | — | — |
| Mumbai | India | 25,895 | 1,565 | — | — |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 20,704 | 4,668 | — | — |
| Manila | Philippines | 19,224 | 2,401 | — | — |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 16,516 | 0 | — | — |
| New Delhi | India | 16,154 | 1,075 | — | — |
| Moscow | Russia | 16,143 | 273 | — | — |
| London | United Kingdom | 15,242 | 319 | — | — |
| Hyderabad | India | 15,056 | 0 | — | — |
| Chengdu | China | 14,675 | 0 | — | — |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 14,439 | 0 | — | — |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 11,462 | 306 | — | — |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 11,156 | 428 | — | — |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 10,769 | 516 | — | — |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 10,172 | 176 | — | — |
| Kingston | Jamaica | 9,728 | 1,306 | — | — |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 9,241 | 2,637 | — | — |
Visa classes in Mar 2017
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 620,763 | 68.4% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 77,628 | 8.6% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 32,851 | 3.6% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 29,865 | 3.3% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 22,622 | 2.5% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 22,072 | 2.4% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 10,560 | 1.2% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 10,494 | 1.2% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 10,106 | 1.1% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 9,898 | 1.1% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 7,769 | 0.9% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 7,460 | 0.8% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 4,306 | 0.5% |
| B2 Temporary visitor for pleasure | 3,918 | 0.4% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,714 | 0.4% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 7,598 | 14.7% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 6,926 | 13.4% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 4,260 | 8.2% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,855 | 7.5% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 2,767 | 5.4% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 2,063 | 4% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 2,055 | 4% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 1,955 | 3.8% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,691 | 3.3% |
| DV3 Immigrant visa class DV3 (no description in the | 1,493 | 2.9% |
| F24 Immigrant visa class F24 (no description in the | 1,284 | 2.5% |
| DV2 Immigrant visa class DV2 (no description in the | 1,228 | 2.4% |
Mar in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2017 | 907,166 | 51,657 |
| Mar 2020 | 400,503 | 24,383 |
| Mar 2021 | 260,493 | 21,670 |
| Mar 2022 | 678,586 | 47,555 |
| Mar 2023 | 1,109,079 | 64,714 |
| Mar 2024 | 962,731 | 53,633 |
| Mar 2025 | 1,006,227 | 51,574 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in March 2017?
907,166 nonimmigrant visas and 51,657 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in March 2017?
Shanghai (54,366), Beijing (46,545), Mexico City (43,600), Monterrey (32,582) and Buenos Aires (31,211).
Which posts changed most in March 2017?
No previous month is available for comparison.
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for March 2017. Data through 30 Sep 2025.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Monthly Nonimmigrant and Immigrant Visa Issuances by Post and Visa Class for March 2017, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.