Months › February 2018
February 2018 · all posts · fiscal year 2018
U.S. visa issuances in February 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 617,797 nonimmigrant visas in February 2018, about the same as the 709,408 of the previous month.
47,715 immigrant visas were issued in the month.
The largest posts were Mexico City (34,986), Buenos Aires (24,701) and Mumbai (22,931); 224 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 66.2%, BBBCC at 10.6% and C1/D at 3.8% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Feb 2018
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Feb 2018
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 34,986 | 0 | -17% | — |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 24,701 | 50 | -18% | — |
| Mumbai | India | 22,931 | 1,394 | +21% | — |
| Shanghai | China | 22,476 | 0 | -41% | — |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 21,338 | 0 | +12% | — |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 21,289 | 0 | -19% | — |
| Beijing | China | 18,647 | 0 | -50% | — |
| Bogota | Colombia | 18,272 | 1,572 | +17% | — |
| Chennai | India | 18,233 | 0 | -6% | — |
| Manila | Philippines | 16,701 | 2,661 | +1% | — |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 14,016 | 0 | -12% | — |
| New Delhi | India | 13,500 | 791 | -4% | — |
| Hyderabad | India | 13,303 | 0 | +1% | — |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 12,766 | 0 | -18% | — |
| Guangzhou | China | 11,961 | 2,043 | -58% | — |
| London | United Kingdom | 10,339 | 351 | +28% | — |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 10,055 | 3,877 | +14% | — |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 9,230 | 506 | -6% | — |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 8,940 | 276 | -23% | — |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 7,712 | 0 | -16% | — |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 7,355 | 594 | -6% | — |
| Lima | Peru | 6,831 | 541 | -9% | — |
| Chengdu | China | 6,793 | 0 | -17% | — |
| San Jose | Costa Rica | 6,532 | 64 | +8% | — |
| Warsaw | Poland | 6,510 | 236 | +1% | — |
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 | Jan 2018 | Feb 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal | 806 | 1,450 | +80% |
| Reykjavik | 212 | 368 | +74% |
| Podgorica | 349 | 572 | +64% |
| Minsk | 823 | 1,340 | +63% |
| Vladivostok | 861 | 1,355 | +57% |
| Moscow | 2,594 | 3,916 | +51% |
| Bern | 1,199 | 1,770 | +48% |
| Georgetown | 267 | 396 | +48% |
Visa classes in Feb 2018
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 409,215 | 66.2% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 65,522 | 10.6% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 23,614 | 3.8% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 16,035 | 2.6% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 13,250 | 2.1% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 13,149 | 2.1% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 10,291 | 1.7% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 7,305 | 1.2% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 7,280 | 1.2% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 6,765 | 1.1% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 5,247 | 0.8% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 5,071 | 0.8% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 4,163 | 0.7% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,019 | 0.5% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,004 | 0.5% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 8,324 | 17.4% |
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 6,669 | 14% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,653 | 7.7% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,282 | 6.9% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 2,071 | 4.3% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 1,974 | 4.1% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 1,946 | 4.1% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 1,714 | 3.6% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,710 | 3.6% |
| DV3 Immigrant visa class DV3 (no description in the | 1,252 | 2.6% |
| F24 Immigrant visa class F24 (no description in the | 1,239 | 2.6% |
| F21 Immigrant visa class F21 (no description in the | 1,234 | 2.6% |
Feb in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2018 | 617,797 | 47,715 |
| Feb 2020 | 578,893 | 37,658 |
| Feb 2021 | 168,361 | 13,202 |
| Feb 2022 | 484,571 | 35,942 |
| Feb 2023 | 853,572 | 46,951 |
| Feb 2024 | 861,383 | 51,563 |
| Feb 2025 | 914,989 | 51,058 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in February 2018?
617,797 nonimmigrant visas and 47,715 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in February 2018?
Mexico City (34,986), Buenos Aires (24,701), Mumbai (22,931), Shanghai (22,476) and Monterrey (21,338).
Which posts changed most in February 2018?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Montreal (+80%), Reykjavik (+74%) and Podgorica (+64%) and the largest falls Guangzhou (-58%), Seoul (-56%) and Beijing (-50%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for February 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 February 2018, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.