Months › December 2018
December 2018 · all posts · fiscal year 2019
U.S. visa issuances in December 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 605,652 nonimmigrant visas in December 2018, about the same as the 634,246 of the previous month and -7% against the same month a year earlier (650,100).
35,750 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 40,819 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (37,709), Shanghai (27,461) and Beijing (24,058); 222 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 59%, BBBCC at 12.1% and F1 at 4.5% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Dec 2018
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Dec 2018
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 37,709 | 0 | -23% | +5% |
| Shanghai | China | 27,461 | 0 | +3% | -12% |
| Beijing | China | 24,058 | 0 | -2% | -20% |
| Guangzhou | China | 23,616 | 2,163 | +10% | 0% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 23,075 | 0 | +11% | -3% |
| Chennai | India | 18,446 | 0 | +9% | +6% |
| Mumbai | India | 15,838 | 1,433 | -8% | -11% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 15,452 | 0 | -25% | -8% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 15,438 | 47 | +15% | -50% |
| Manila | Philippines | 14,638 | 2,313 | +3% | -4% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 14,371 | 542 | -14% | -8% |
| New Delhi | India | 14,199 | 225 | +18% | +12% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 13,776 | 0 | +1% | -4% |
| Hyderabad | India | 12,077 | 0 | +29% | +1% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 11,501 | 0 | -14% | -14% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 10,991 | 290 | +19% | -11% |
| London | United Kingdom | 8,699 | 287 | +1% | +10% |
| Seoul | South Korea | 7,722 | 394 | +39% | +1% |
| Chengdu | China | 7,504 | 0 | +9% | -1% |
| Lima | Peru | 7,488 | 385 | -25% | -2% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 7,183 | 0 | -21% | -2% |
| Toronto | Canada | 6,528 | 0 | -6% | +49% |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 6,250 | 4,096 | -11% | -12% |
| San Jose | Costa Rica | 6,020 | 65 | -24% | -18% |
| Moscow | Russia | 5,988 | 256 | -19% | +55% |
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 | Nov 2018 | Dec 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 2,952 | 4,528 | +53% |
| Tirana | 822 | 1,154 | +40% |
| Seoul | 5,569 | 7,722 | +39% |
| Karachi | 902 | 1,240 | +37% |
| Tokyo | 3,838 | 5,206 | +36% |
| Tunis | 353 | 474 | +34% |
| Riyadh | 2,720 | 3,596 | +32% |
| Kinshasa | 363 | 477 | +31% |
Largest falls
| Post | Nov 2018 | Dec 2018 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managua | 1,383 | 700 | -49% |
| Cape Town | 1,327 | 747 | -44% |
| Johannesburg | 3,050 | 1,753 | -43% |
| Kampala | 844 | 481 | -43% |
| Astana | 790 | 471 | -40% |
| Durban | 506 | 311 | -39% |
| Accra | 1,574 | 1,009 | -36% |
| Tegucigalpa | 2,956 | 1,882 | -36% |
Visa classes in Dec 2018
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 357,109 | 59% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 73,199 | 12.1% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 27,166 | 4.5% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 27,159 | 4.5% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 20,984 | 3.5% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 19,526 | 3.2% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 11,096 | 1.8% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 8,818 | 1.5% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 7,116 | 1.2% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 6,779 | 1.1% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 5,686 | 0.9% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 5,507 | 0.9% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 3,434 | 0.6% |
| J2 Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 3,182 | 0.5% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,061 | 0.5% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 5,345 | 15% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 4,154 | 11.6% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 2,627 | 7.3% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 2,521 | 7.1% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 1,762 | 4.9% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 1,656 | 4.6% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 1,511 | 4.2% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 1,350 | 3.8% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,185 | 3.3% |
| F11 Immigrant visa class F11 (no description in the | 1,158 | 3.2% |
| F21 Immigrant visa class F21 (no description in the | 926 | 2.6% |
| F12 Immigrant visa class F12 (no description in the | 882 | 2.5% |
Dec in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2018 | 605,652 | 35,750 |
| Dec 2019 | 650,760 | 40,666 |
| Dec 2020 | 157,225 | 11,233 |
| Dec 2021 | 435,665 | 38,397 |
| Dec 2022 | 747,686 | 45,945 |
| Dec 2023 | 755,973 | 46,279 |
| Dec 2024 | 884,739 | 50,944 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in December 2018?
605,652 nonimmigrant visas and 35,750 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in December 2018?
Mexico City (37,709), Shanghai (27,461), Beijing (24,058), Guangzhou (23,616) and Sao Paulo (23,075).
Which posts changed most in December 2018?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Paris (+53%), Tirana (+40%) and Seoul (+39%) and the largest falls Managua (-49%), Cape Town (-44%) and Johannesburg (-43%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for December 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 December 2018, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.