Months › December 2017
December 2017 · all posts · fiscal year 2018
U.S. visa issuances in December 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 650,100 nonimmigrant visas in December 2017, about the same as the 635,861 of the previous month.
40,819 immigrant visas were issued in the month.
The largest posts were Mexico City (35,860), Shanghai (31,369) and Buenos Aires (30,648); 224 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 60.9%, BBBCC at 11.5% and F1 at 4.6% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Dec 2017
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Dec 2017
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 35,860 | 0 | -6% | — |
| Shanghai | China | 31,369 | 0 | +6% | — |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 30,648 | 52 | +7% | — |
| Beijing | China | 30,246 | 0 | -2% | — |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 23,690 | 0 | +7% | — |
| Guangzhou | China | 23,577 | 3,062 | +2% | — |
| Mumbai | India | 17,724 | 1,406 | +14% | — |
| Chennai | India | 17,424 | 0 | +7% | — |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 16,856 | 0 | -17% | — |
| Bogota | Colombia | 15,601 | 739 | -8% | — |
| Manila | Philippines | 15,281 | 2,505 | +23% | — |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 14,383 | 0 | +28% | — |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 13,377 | 0 | -7% | — |
| New Delhi | India | 12,636 | 884 | +4% | — |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 12,362 | 371 | +23% | — |
| Hyderabad | India | 11,924 | 0 | +10% | — |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 11,171 | 3,609 | -17% | — |
| London | United Kingdom | 7,933 | 240 | -9% | — |
| Seoul | South Korea | 7,657 | 459 | +27% | — |
| Lima | Peru | 7,642 | 525 | -12% | — |
| Chengdu | China | 7,599 | 0 | -2% | — |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 7,348 | 0 | -7% | — |
| San Jose | Costa Rica | 7,314 | 82 | +9% | — |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 7,076 | 4,537 | +28% | — |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 6,642 | 534 | -23% | — |
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.
Visa classes in Dec 2017
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 395,735 | 60.9% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 74,604 | 11.5% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 29,668 | 4.6% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 27,030 | 4.2% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 21,690 | 3.3% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 19,741 | 3% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 13,230 | 2% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 8,157 | 1.3% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 7,203 | 1.1% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 6,808 | 1% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 5,378 | 0.8% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 4,633 | 0.7% |
| J2 Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 3,236 | 0.5% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,191 | 0.5% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 3,033 | 0.5% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 5,938 | 14.5% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 4,703 | 11.5% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 2,908 | 7.1% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 2,588 | 6.3% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 2,045 | 5% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 1,918 | 4.7% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,681 | 4.1% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 1,616 | 4% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 1,455 | 3.6% |
| F11 Immigrant visa class F11 (no description in the | 1,239 | 3% |
| F42 Immigrant visa class F42 (no description in the | 1,186 | 2.9% |
| F21 Immigrant visa class F21 (no description in the | 1,058 | 2.6% |
Dec in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2017 | 650,100 | 40,819 |
| Dec 2019 | 650,760 | 40,666 |
| Dec 2020 | 157,225 | 11,233 |
| Dec 2021 | 435,665 | 38,397 |
| Dec 2022 | 747,686 | 45,945 |
| Dec 2023 | 755,973 | 46,279 |
| Dec 2024 | 884,739 | 50,944 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in December 2017?
650,100 nonimmigrant visas and 40,819 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in December 2017?
Mexico City (35,860), Shanghai (31,369), Buenos Aires (30,648), Beijing (30,246) and Sao Paulo (23,690).
Which posts changed most in December 2017?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Saint Petersburg (+74%), Istanbul (+68%) and Harare (+66%) and the largest falls Suva (-48%), Cape Town (-43%) and Abu Dhabi (-41%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for December 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 December 2017, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.