Months › October 2018
October 2018 · all posts · fiscal year 2019
U.S. visa issuances in October 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 699,265 nonimmigrant visas in October 2018, about the same as the 620,175 of the previous month and +10% against the same month a year earlier (636,534).
41,692 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 48,161 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (59,164), Shanghai (25,982) and Sao Paulo (23,989); 223 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 63.5%, BBBCC at 15.4% and C1/D at 4.1% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
← September 2018November 2018 →
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Oct 2018
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Oct 2018
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 59,164 | 0 | +45% | +46% |
| Shanghai | China | 25,982 | 0 | -1% | -2% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 23,989 | 0 | +28% | -3% |
| Beijing | China | 23,951 | 0 | -11% | -9% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 21,035 | 0 | -1% | +37% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 19,815 | 572 | +10% | +28% |
| Manila | Philippines | 19,369 | 2,811 | +25% | +33% |
| Guangzhou | China | 19,257 | 2,031 | +10% | +10% |
| Mumbai | India | 18,948 | 1,611 | +17% | +27% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 17,306 | 44 | +12% | -47% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 15,828 | 0 | +2% | +6% |
| Chennai | India | 14,221 | 0 | -18% | -8% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 13,658 | 0 | +60% | +31% |
| London | United Kingdom | 10,923 | 401 | +11% | +25% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 10,545 | 0 | +10% | +18% |
| Hyderabad | India | 9,908 | 0 | -7% | +1% |
| New Delhi | India | 9,887 | 370 | -14% | -9% |
| Lima | Peru | 9,872 | 408 | +35% | +11% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 9,804 | 273 | +16% | -7% |
| San Jose | Costa Rica | 9,777 | 113 | +49% | +42% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 9,583 | 3,941 | +19% | -27% |
| Moscow | Russia | 8,193 | 248 | +46% | +198% |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 7,901 | 572 | +2% | +12% |
| Quito | Ecuador | 7,582 | 0 | +19% | +54% |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 7,384 | 4,691 | +53% | +9% |
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 | Sep 2018 | Oct 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yekaterinburg | 867 | 2,552 | +194% |
| Port Louis | 201 | 435 | +116% |
| Ottawa | 555 | 1,037 | +87% |
| Addis Ababa | 850 | 1,525 | +79% |
| Nogales | 1,461 | 2,592 | +77% |
| Almaty | 616 | 1,011 | +64% |
| Milan | 681 | 1,104 | +62% |
| Tel Aviv | 8,556 | 13,658 | +60% |
Visa classes in Oct 2018
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 444,100 | 63.5% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 107,945 | 15.4% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 28,481 | 4.1% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 15,351 | 2.2% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 12,796 | 1.8% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 9,259 | 1.3% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 7,495 | 1.1% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 7,169 | 1% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 7,022 | 1% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 6,551 | 0.9% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 6,164 | 0.9% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 6,039 | 0.9% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 5,144 | 0.7% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,724 | 0.5% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,315 | 0.5% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 6,401 | 15.4% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 4,490 | 10.8% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,173 | 7.6% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,008 | 7.2% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 2,221 | 5.3% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 2,134 | 5.1% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 2,047 | 4.9% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,855 | 4.4% |
| F42 Immigrant visa class F42 (no description in the | 1,311 | 3.1% |
| F11 Immigrant visa class F11 (no description in the | 1,258 | 3% |
| F21 Immigrant visa class F21 (no description in the | 1,186 | 2.8% |
| F33 Immigrant visa class F33 (no description in the | 986 | 2.4% |
Oct in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2018 | 699,265 | 41,692 |
| Oct 2019 | 710,468 | 39,966 |
| Oct 2020 | 124,078 | 8,687 |
| Oct 2021 | 296,442 | 36,245 |
| Oct 2022 | 704,734 | 44,750 |
| Oct 2023 | 885,241 | 46,695 |
| Oct 2024 | 977,715 | 62,832 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in October 2018?
699,265 nonimmigrant visas and 41,692 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in October 2018?
Mexico City (59,164), Shanghai (25,982), Sao Paulo (23,989), Beijing (23,951) and Monterrey (21,035).
Which posts changed most in October 2018?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Yekaterinburg (+194%), Port Louis (+116%) and Ottawa (+87%) and the largest falls Budapest (-49%), Bangkok (-24%) and Luanda (-22%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for October 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 October 2018, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.