Months › October 2017
October 2017 · all posts · fiscal year 2018
U.S. visa issuances in October 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 636,534 nonimmigrant visas in October 2017, about the same as the 652,056 of the previous month.
48,161 immigrant visas were issued in the month.
The largest posts were Mexico City (40,618), Buenos Aires (32,447) and Shanghai (26,534); 224 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 66%, BBBCC at 13% and C1/D at 3.8% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
← September 2017November 2017 →
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Oct 2017
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Oct 2017
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 40,618 | 0 | +24% | — |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 32,447 | 53 | +18% | — |
| Shanghai | China | 26,534 | 0 | -28% | — |
| Beijing | China | 26,284 | 0 | -24% | — |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 24,793 | 0 | +11% | — |
| Guangzhou | China | 17,516 | 2,913 | -28% | — |
| Bogota | Colombia | 15,495 | 657 | -4% | — |
| Chennai | India | 15,416 | 0 | 0% | — |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 15,390 | 0 | -12% | — |
| Mumbai | India | 14,927 | 1,319 | 0% | — |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 14,923 | 0 | +6% | — |
| Manila | Philippines | 14,579 | 3,051 | -21% | — |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 13,076 | 4,520 | +9% | — |
| New Delhi | India | 10,833 | 801 | -2% | — |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 10,556 | 351 | +4% | — |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 10,429 | 0 | -9% | — |
| Hyderabad | India | 9,834 | 0 | 0% | — |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 8,967 | 0 | +1% | — |
| Lima | Peru | 8,930 | 417 | +21% | — |
| London | United Kingdom | 8,734 | 385 | -9% | — |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 7,835 | 677 | -5% | — |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 7,063 | 649 | +5% | — |
| San Jose | Costa Rica | 6,866 | 87 | +3% | — |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 6,784 | 5,645 | +23% | — |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 6,577 | 2,276 | -16% | — |
Biggest movers on the previous month
Posts with at least 200 nonimmigrant issuances in both months. A move in the count is a move in visas issued; it does not by itself say anything about demand or approval rates.
Largest rises
| Post | Sep 2017 | Oct 2017 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vladivostok | 277 | 942 | +240% |
| Yekaterinburg | 209 | 622 | +198% |
| Saint Petersburg | 732 | 1,349 | +84% |
| Hanoi | 1,016 | 1,821 | +79% |
| Helsinki | 282 | 503 | +78% |
| Jerusalem | 995 | 1,639 | +65% |
| Dhahran | 1,016 | 1,666 | +64% |
| Accra | 728 | 1,182 | +62% |
Visa classes in Oct 2017
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 419,919 | 66% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 82,721 | 13% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 24,080 | 3.8% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 14,009 | 2.2% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 13,142 | 2.1% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 8,894 | 1.4% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 8,256 | 1.3% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 7,245 | 1.1% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 5,764 | 0.9% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 5,509 | 0.9% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 5,403 | 0.8% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 4,892 | 0.8% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 3,834 | 0.6% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,278 | 0.5% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 2,949 | 0.5% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 6,606 | 13.7% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 5,796 | 12% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,118 | 6.5% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,057 | 6.3% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 2,713 | 5.6% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 2,512 | 5.2% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 2,440 | 5.1% |
| F11 Immigrant visa class F11 (no description in the | 2,098 | 4.4% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 2,064 | 4.3% |
| F12 Immigrant visa class F12 (no description in the | 1,510 | 3.1% |
| F42 Immigrant visa class F42 (no description in the | 1,462 | 3% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 1,349 | 2.8% |
Oct in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2017 | 636,534 | 48,161 |
| Oct 2019 | 710,468 | 39,966 |
| Oct 2020 | 124,078 | 8,687 |
| Oct 2021 | 296,442 | 36,245 |
| Oct 2022 | 704,734 | 44,750 |
| Oct 2023 | 885,241 | 46,695 |
| Oct 2024 | 977,715 | 62,832 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in October 2017?
636,534 nonimmigrant visas and 48,161 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in October 2017?
Mexico City (40,618), Buenos Aires (32,447), Shanghai (26,534), Beijing (26,284) and Sao Paulo (24,793).
Which posts changed most in October 2017?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Vladivostok (+240%), Yekaterinburg (+198%) and Saint Petersburg (+84%) and the largest falls Ankara (-72%), Istanbul (-72%) and Rangoon (-32%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for October 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 October 2017, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.