Months › August 2018
August 2018 · all posts · fiscal year 2018
U.S. visa issuances in August 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 824,176 nonimmigrant visas in August 2018, about the same as the 884,357 of the previous month and -1% against the same month a year earlier (832,637).
46,511 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 45,089 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (49,011), Shanghai (42,550) and Beijing (35,642); 223 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 62.4%, BBBCC at 11.1% and F1 at 5.2% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Aug 2018
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Aug 2018
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 49,011 | 0 | +2% | -1% |
| Shanghai | China | 42,550 | 0 | -11% | +12% |
| Beijing | China | 35,642 | 0 | -26% | -32% |
| Guangzhou | China | 30,778 | 2,311 | -7% | -12% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 28,746 | 0 | -4% | +28% |
| Chennai | India | 27,902 | 0 | +19% | +48% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 25,424 | 0 | +1% | +4% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 22,093 | 624 | +7% | +10% |
| Mumbai | India | 20,411 | 1,432 | -14% | +22% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 20,334 | 57 | -23% | -28% |
| Manila | Philippines | 19,593 | 2,532 | +3% | +5% |
| New Delhi | India | 16,636 | 184 | -12% | +33% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 15,088 | 0 | -4% | 0% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 14,667 | 0 | +9% | -1% |
| Hyderabad | India | 14,477 | 0 | +1% | +10% |
| London | United Kingdom | 13,972 | 343 | +1% | +9% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 13,661 | 4,838 | +21% | -15% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 11,472 | 379 | -5% | +3% |
| Chengdu | China | 11,174 | 0 | -20% | -4% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 11,095 | 0 | +17% | +14% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 8,880 | 3,785 | -7% | +29% |
| Quito | Ecuador | 8,359 | 0 | -7% | +13% |
| Lima | Peru | 8,262 | 402 | +7% | -2% |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 7,870 | 489 | +48% | -1% |
| Seoul | South Korea | 7,840 | 418 | -29% | +12% |
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 Aug 2018
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 513,915 | 62.4% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 91,445 | 11.1% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 42,876 | 5.2% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 26,284 | 3.2% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 23,959 | 2.9% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 20,000 | 2.4% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 13,508 | 1.6% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 13,031 | 1.6% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 9,039 | 1.1% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 8,920 | 1.1% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 8,031 | 1% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 7,247 | 0.9% |
| J2 Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 4,845 | 0.6% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 4,166 | 0.5% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,259 | 0.4% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 6,378 | 13.7% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 5,284 | 11.4% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,246 | 7% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,227 | 6.9% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 2,665 | 5.7% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 2,561 | 5.5% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 2,294 | 4.9% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 2,019 | 4.3% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,628 | 3.5% |
| DV3 Immigrant visa class DV3 (no description in the | 1,567 | 3.4% |
| F24 Immigrant visa class F24 (no description in the | 1,164 | 2.5% |
| F21 Immigrant visa class F21 (no description in the | 1,160 | 2.5% |
Aug in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2018 | 824,176 | 46,511 |
| Aug 2020 | 94,416 | 6,100 |
| Aug 2021 | 333,506 | 45,491 |
| Aug 2022 | 754,062 | 57,137 |
| Aug 2023 | 938,911 | 49,208 |
| Aug 2024 | 931,915 | 62,077 |
| Aug 2025 | 842,878 | 44,122 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in August 2018?
824,176 nonimmigrant visas and 46,511 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in August 2018?
Mexico City (49,011), Shanghai (42,550), Beijing (35,642), Guangzhou (30,778) and Sao Paulo (28,746).
Which posts changed most in August 2018?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Monrovia (+81%), Helsinki (+74%) and Durban (+73%) and the largest falls Milan (-51%), Dubai (-48%) and Taipei (-43%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for August 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 August 2018, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.