Months › February 2020
February 2020 · all posts · fiscal year 2020
U.S. visa issuances in February 2020
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 578,893 nonimmigrant visas in February 2020, about the same as the 670,211 of the previous month and -8% against the same month a year earlier (628,837).
37,658 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 34,710 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (43,699), Monterrey (25,462) and Chennai (25,246); 222 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 58.6%, BBBCC at 16.3% and C1/D at 4.2% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Feb 2020
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in Feb 2020
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 43,699 | 0 | -17% | -4% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 25,462 | 0 | +7% | +24% |
| Chennai | India | 25,246 | 0 | +14% | +45% |
| Mumbai | India | 23,424 | 1,936 | -7% | +20% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 20,061 | 0 | -19% | -13% |
| Manila | Philippines | 19,798 | 1,416 | +12% | +11% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 18,973 | 587 | -1% | +2% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 15,863 | 0 | -10% | +18% |
| New Delhi | India | 13,454 | 19 | -13% | 0% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 13,248 | 0 | +2% | -1% |
| Hyderabad | India | 12,898 | 0 | -12% | -2% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 11,922 | 33 | -19% | -39% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 11,100 | 0 | +2% | +15% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 10,578 | 3,624 | +1% | +51% |
| Lima | Peru | 9,969 | 355 | 0% | +1% |
| London | United Kingdom | 9,688 | 294 | -8% | -17% |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 8,656 | 350 | +2% | -11% |
| Hermosillo | Mexico | 7,894 | 0 | -1% | +29% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 7,221 | 2,953 | +30% | +82% |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 7,196 | 5,130 | -4% | +23% |
| San Jose | Costa Rica | 6,566 | 46 | -5% | +13% |
| Moscow | Russia | 6,198 | 264 | +17% | -9% |
| Quito | Ecuador | 5,996 | 0 | -19% | -27% |
| Toronto | Canada | 5,886 | 0 | -19% | -5% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 5,559 | 244 | -28% | -44% |
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 | Jan 2020 | Feb 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vilnius | 315 | 672 | +113% |
| Kinshasa | 317 | 499 | +57% |
| Paramaribo | 456 | 631 | +38% |
| Cape Town | 1,557 | 2,092 | +34% |
| Yekaterinburg | 1,300 | 1,745 | +34% |
| Bucharest | 3,450 | 4,514 | +31% |
| Kingston | 2,776 | 3,636 | +31% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 5,546 | 7,221 | +30% |
Visa classes in Feb 2020
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 339,172 | 58.6% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 94,248 | 16.3% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 24,578 | 4.2% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 17,279 | 3% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 15,673 | 2.7% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 14,765 | 2.6% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 10,758 | 1.9% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 7,099 | 1.2% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 5,666 | 1% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 5,618 | 1% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 5,398 | 0.9% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 4,302 | 0.7% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 3,361 | 0.6% |
| B1 Temporary visitor for business | 3,006 | 0.5% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 2,996 | 0.5% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 5,456 | 14.5% |
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 5,452 | 14.5% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 2,624 | 7% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 2,484 | 6.6% |
| FX1 Immigrant visa class FX1 (no description in the | 2,448 | 6.5% |
| F43 Immigrant visa class F43 (no description in the | 2,069 | 5.5% |
| FX2 Immigrant visa class FX2 (no description in the | 1,640 | 4.4% |
| F41 Immigrant visa class F41 (no description in the | 1,635 | 4.3% |
| DV1 Immigrant visa class DV1 (no description in the | 1,497 | 4% |
| F42 Immigrant visa class F42 (no description in the | 1,176 | 3.1% |
| F24 Immigrant visa class F24 (no description in the | 1,109 | 2.9% |
| FX3 Immigrant visa class FX3 (no description in the | 1,074 | 2.9% |
Feb in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2019 | 628,837 | 34,710 |
| Feb 2020 | 578,893 | 37,658 |
| Feb 2021 | 168,361 | 13,202 |
| Feb 2022 | 484,571 | 35,942 |
| Feb 2023 | 853,572 | 46,951 |
| Feb 2024 | 861,383 | 51,563 |
| Feb 2025 | 914,989 | 51,058 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in February 2020?
578,893 nonimmigrant visas and 37,658 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in February 2020?
Mexico City (43,699), Monterrey (25,462), Chennai (25,246), Mumbai (23,424) and Sao Paulo (20,061).
Which posts changed most in February 2020?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Vilnius (+113%), Kinshasa (+57%) and Paramaribo (+38%) and the largest falls Munich (-54%), Luanda (-41%) and Florence (-40%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for February 2020. 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 February 2020, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.