Months › March 2018
March 2018 · all posts · fiscal year 2018
U.S. visa issuances in March 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 819,645 nonimmigrant visas in March 2018, more than the 617,797 of the previous month and -10% against the same month a year earlier (907,166).
46,706 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 51,657 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (43,184), Shanghai (40,180) and Beijing (35,294); 224 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 67.3%, BBBCC at 9.7% and J1 at 3.8% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Mar 2018
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Mar 2018
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 43,184 | 0 | +23% | -1% |
| Shanghai | China | 40,180 | 0 | +79% | -26% |
| Beijing | China | 35,294 | 0 | +89% | -24% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 32,791 | 54 | +33% | +5% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 32,297 | 0 | +51% | -1% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 32,189 | 0 | +51% | +18% |
| Guangzhou | China | 27,041 | 2,407 | +126% | -4% |
| Mumbai | India | 26,521 | 1,903 | +16% | +2% |
| Chennai | India | 24,274 | 0 | +33% | -12% |
| Manila | Philippines | 19,241 | 2,609 | +15% | 0% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 19,067 | 1,275 | +4% | -29% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 16,051 | 0 | +26% | +11% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 16,039 | 0 | +14% | -3% |
| New Delhi | India | 14,277 | 819 | +6% | -12% |
| Hyderabad | India | 14,026 | 0 | +5% | -7% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 13,053 | 4,184 | +30% | -37% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 12,118 | 390 | +36% | +6% |
| London | United Kingdom | 11,833 | 318 | +14% | -22% |
| Chengdu | China | 10,915 | 0 | +61% | -26% |
| Lagos | Nigeria | 9,624 | 586 | +4% | -14% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 9,457 | 0 | +23% | +3% |
| Warsaw | Poland | 9,452 | 311 | +45% | +31% |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 8,403 | 706 | +14% | -22% |
| Kingston | Jamaica | 8,220 | 1,167 | +107% | -16% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 8,194 | 2,821 | +98% | -11% |
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 Mar 2018
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 551,937 | 67.3% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 79,805 | 9.7% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 31,234 | 3.8% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 25,826 | 3.2% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 20,353 | 2.5% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 13,922 | 1.7% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 13,194 | 1.6% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 10,108 | 1.2% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 9,681 | 1.2% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 8,760 | 1.1% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 6,250 | 0.8% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 6,194 | 0.8% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 6,046 | 0.7% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,933 | 0.5% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,315 | 0.4% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 7,126 | 15.3% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 5,792 | 12.4% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,455 | 7.4% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,275 | 7% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 2,274 | 4.9% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 2,204 | 4.7% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 2,087 | 4.5% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 1,926 | 4.1% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,863 | 4% |
| F42 Immigrant visa class F42 (no description in the | 1,307 | 2.8% |
| F21 Immigrant visa class F21 (no description in the | 1,295 | 2.8% |
| F11 Immigrant visa class F11 (no description in the | 1,276 | 2.7% |
Mar in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2018 | 819,645 | 46,706 |
| 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 2018?
819,645 nonimmigrant visas and 46,706 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in March 2018?
Mexico City (43,184), Shanghai (40,180), Beijing (35,294), Buenos Aires (32,791) and Monterrey (32,297).
Which posts changed most in March 2018?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Budapest (+215%), Vilnius (+149%) and Hanoi (+142%) and the largest falls Montreal (-35%), Ciudad Juarez (-31%) and Reykjavik (-29%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for March 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 March 2018, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.