Months › January 2019
January 2019 · all posts · fiscal year 2019
U.S. visa issuances in January 2019
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 685,917 nonimmigrant visas in January 2019, about the same as the 605,652 of the previous month and -3% against the same month a year earlier (709,408).
39,557 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 47,859 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (45,083), Beijing (32,105) and Shanghai (31,021); 223 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 62.8%, BBBCC at 13% and C1/D at 3.5% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
← December 2018February 2019 →
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Jan 2019
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Jan 2019
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 45,083 | 0 | +20% | +7% |
| Beijing | China | 32,105 | 0 | +33% | -14% |
| Shanghai | China | 31,021 | 0 | +13% | -18% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 24,537 | 0 | +6% | -7% |
| Guangzhou | China | 23,420 | 1,979 | -1% | -17% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 22,226 | 0 | +44% | +16% |
| Mumbai | India | 20,391 | 2,127 | +29% | +8% |
| Chennai | India | 17,790 | 0 | -4% | -9% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 17,485 | 89 | +13% | -42% |
| Manila | Philippines | 17,383 | 2,222 | +19% | +6% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 16,323 | 501 | +14% | +4% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 15,823 | 0 | +15% | +1% |
| New Delhi | India | 14,767 | 128 | +4% | +5% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 14,542 | 0 | +26% | -8% |
| Hyderabad | India | 11,809 | 0 | -2% | -10% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 11,173 | 250 | +2% | -4% |
| London | United Kingdom | 10,651 | 399 | +22% | +32% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 10,272 | 0 | +43% | +11% |
| Lima | Peru | 8,776 | 375 | +17% | +17% |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 8,775 | 765 | +63% | +12% |
| Chengdu | China | 8,192 | 0 | +9% | 0% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 8,122 | 2,704 | +50% | +19% |
| Quito | Ecuador | 7,868 | 0 | +80% | +23% |
| Warsaw | Poland | 7,101 | 154 | +59% | +10% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 7,073 | 3,783 | +18% | -20% |
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 | Dec 2018 | Jan 2019 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durban | 311 | 607 | +95% |
| Quito | 4,375 | 7,868 | +80% |
| Nuevo Laredo | 2,133 | 3,712 | +74% |
| Yaounde | 227 | 396 | +74% |
| Nicosia | 291 | 480 | +65% |
| Guayaquil | 5,383 | 8,775 | +63% |
| Bangkok | 2,520 | 4,069 | +61% |
| Islamabad | 1,067 | 1,697 | +59% |
Largest falls
| Post | Dec 2018 | Jan 2019 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinshasa | 477 | 227 | -52% |
| Berlin | 1,352 | 831 | -39% |
| Suva | 341 | 231 | -32% |
| Yekaterinburg | 2,319 | 1,581 | -32% |
| Moscow | 5,988 | 4,165 | -30% |
| Port-au-Prince | 1,911 | 1,367 | -28% |
| Athens | 494 | 375 | -24% |
| Montreal | 1,304 | 1,005 | -23% |
Visa classes in Jan 2019
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 430,497 | 62.8% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 89,288 | 13% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 23,801 | 3.5% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 21,420 | 3.1% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 17,514 | 2.6% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 14,330 | 2.1% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 11,395 | 1.7% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 10,966 | 1.6% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 7,438 | 1.1% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 6,731 | 1% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 6,475 | 0.9% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 6,286 | 0.9% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 3,600 | 0.5% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,248 | 0.5% |
| P1 Internationally recognized athlete or member of | 3,090 | 0.5% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 6,766 | 17.1% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 4,953 | 12.5% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,275 | 8.3% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 3,232 | 8.2% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 2,023 | 5.1% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 1,958 | 4.9% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 1,869 | 4.7% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,457 | 3.7% |
| F21 Immigrant visa class F21 (no description in the | 1,098 | 2.8% |
| F42 Immigrant visa class F42 (no description in the | 1,048 | 2.6% |
| F33 Immigrant visa class F33 (no description in the | 1,023 | 2.6% |
| F11 Immigrant visa class F11 (no description in the | 953 | 2.4% |
Jan in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2019 | 685,917 | 39,557 |
| Jan 2020 | 670,211 | 43,136 |
| Jan 2021 | 138,544 | 11,880 |
| Jan 2022 | 414,383 | 33,039 |
| Jan 2023 | 842,689 | 44,495 |
| Jan 2024 | 875,162 | 50,517 |
| Jan 2025 | 954,595 | 54,288 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in January 2019?
685,917 nonimmigrant visas and 39,557 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in January 2019?
Mexico City (45,083), Beijing (32,105), Shanghai (31,021), Sao Paulo (24,537) and Guangzhou (23,420).
Which posts changed most in January 2019?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Durban (+95%), Quito (+80%) and Nuevo Laredo (+74%) and the largest falls Kinshasa (-52%), Berlin (-39%) and Suva (-32%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for January 2019. 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 January 2019, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.