Months › January 2018
January 2018 · all posts · fiscal year 2018
U.S. visa issuances in January 2018
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 709,408 nonimmigrant visas in January 2018, about the same as the 650,100 of the previous month.
47,859 immigrant visas were issued in the month.
The largest posts were Mexico City (42,206), Shanghai (37,778) and Beijing (37,166); 224 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 65.8%, BBBCC at 11.1% and C1/D at 3.6% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
← December 2017February 2018 →
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Jan 2018
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Jan 2018
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 42,206 | 0 | +18% | — |
| Shanghai | China | 37,778 | 0 | +20% | — |
| Beijing | China | 37,166 | 0 | +23% | — |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 30,007 | 49 | -2% | — |
| Guangzhou | China | 28,192 | 2,510 | +20% | — |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 26,338 | 0 | +11% | — |
| Chennai | India | 19,476 | 0 | +12% | — |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 19,083 | 0 | +13% | — |
| Mumbai | India | 18,918 | 1,662 | +7% | — |
| Manila | Philippines | 16,476 | 2,531 | +8% | — |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 15,879 | 0 | +19% | — |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 15,644 | 0 | +9% | — |
| Bogota | Colombia | 15,638 | 1,413 | 0% | — |
| New Delhi | India | 14,065 | 993 | +11% | — |
| Hyderabad | India | 13,167 | 0 | +10% | — |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 11,624 | 360 | -6% | — |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 9,834 | 679 | +48% | — |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 9,220 | 0 | +25% | — |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 8,816 | 3,981 | -21% | — |
| Chengdu | China | 8,223 | 0 | +8% | — |
| London | United Kingdom | 8,082 | 263 | +2% | — |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 7,858 | 654 | +29% | — |
| Lima | Peru | 7,490 | 534 | -2% | — |
| Seoul | South Korea | 6,877 | 458 | -10% | — |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 6,839 | 2,253 | +13% | — |
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 | Dec 2017 | Jan 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Istanbul | 1,612 | 5,318 | +230% |
| Ankara | 1,120 | 2,668 | +138% |
| Abuja | 2,008 | 3,468 | +73% |
| Bangkok | 2,604 | 4,302 | +65% |
| Warsaw | 4,014 | 6,439 | +60% |
| Quito | 4,196 | 6,386 | +52% |
| Bridgetown | 1,183 | 1,788 | +51% |
| Lagos | 6,642 | 9,834 | +48% |
Largest falls
| Post | Dec 2017 | Jan 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Podgorica | 752 | 349 | -54% |
| Naples | 320 | 211 | -34% |
| Moscow | 3,862 | 2,594 | -33% |
| Osaka/Kobe | 2,141 | 1,480 | -31% |
| Saint Petersburg | 1,976 | 1,367 | -31% |
| Bishkek | 301 | 215 | -29% |
| Kinshasa | 363 | 257 | -29% |
| Florence | 410 | 296 | -28% |
Visa classes in Jan 2018
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 466,671 | 65.8% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 78,600 | 11.1% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 25,706 | 3.6% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 20,031 | 2.8% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 18,047 | 2.5% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 14,029 | 2% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 11,432 | 1.6% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 9,984 | 1.4% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 7,229 | 1% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 6,547 | 0.9% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 5,985 | 0.8% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 5,962 | 0.8% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 4,766 | 0.7% |
| J2 Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 3,282 | 0.5% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,038 | 0.4% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 8,595 | 18% |
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 7,532 | 15.7% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,837 | 8% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,528 | 7.4% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 2,061 | 4.3% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 1,901 | 4% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 1,763 | 3.7% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 1,733 | 3.6% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,570 | 3.3% |
| F11 Immigrant visa class F11 (no description in the | 1,225 | 2.6% |
| F42 Immigrant visa class F42 (no description in the | 1,137 | 2.4% |
| F24 Immigrant visa class F24 (no description in the | 1,112 | 2.3% |
Jan in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2018 | 709,408 | 47,859 |
| Jan 2020 | 670,211 | 43,136 |
| Jan 2021 | 138,544 | 11,880 |
| Jan 2022 | 414,383 | 33,039 |
| Jan 2023 | 842,689 | 44,495 |
| Jan 2024 | 875,162 | 50,517 |
| Jan 2025 | 954,595 | 54,288 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in January 2018?
709,408 nonimmigrant visas and 47,859 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in January 2018?
Mexico City (42,206), Shanghai (37,778), Beijing (37,166), Buenos Aires (30,007) and Guangzhou (28,192).
Which posts changed most in January 2018?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Istanbul (+230%), Ankara (+138%) and Abuja (+73%) and the largest falls Podgorica (-54%), Naples (-34%) and Moscow (-33%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for January 2018. 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 January 2018, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.