U.S. visa issuances in December 2020

217 posts in the month's tables · nonimmigrant issuances +26% on Nov 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 157,225 nonimmigrant visas in December 2020, more than the 124,500 of the previous month and -76% against the same month a year earlier (650,760).

11,233 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 40,666 a year earlier.

The largest posts were Monterrey (17,801), Mexico City (12,766) and Manila (6,072); 217 posts appear in the month's tables.

B1/B2 at 28.7%, BBBCC at 17.7% and F1 at 14.5% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.

157,225nonimmigrant visas-76% vs Dec 2019

11,233immigrant visas-72% vs a year earlier

+26%vs Nov 2020124,500 then

28.7%share of B1/B2

Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to Dec 2020

Nonimmigrant visas issued worldwide by month, stacked by broad class group.

VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes

Largest posts in Dec 2020

Post	Country	Nonimmigrant	Immigrant	vs prior month	vs year earlier
Monterrey	Mexico	17,801	0	+11%	-8%
Mexico City	Mexico	12,766	0	+27%	-74%
Manila	Philippines	6,072	781	+4%	-59%
Tijuana	Mexico	5,552	0	-34%	-35%
Santo Domingo	Dominican Republic	5,539	581	+27%	-31%
New Delhi	India	5,504	34	+77%	-62%
Mumbai	India	5,176	356	+88%	-77%
Chennai	India	4,626	0	+33%	-79%
Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	4,010	852	+52%	-49%
Guadalajara	Mexico	3,669	0	+65%	-77%
Lima	Peru	3,374	41	+37%	-63%
Quito	Ecuador	3,327	0	+18%	-33%
Seoul	South Korea	3,025	125	+28%	-57%
Hermosillo	Mexico	2,900	0	-7%	-59%
Tokyo	Japan	2,807	83	+32%	-47%
San Jose	Costa Rica	2,615	46	+99%	-60%
Nuevo Laredo	Mexico	2,565	0	+26%	-23%
Guayaquil	Ecuador	2,528	113	+27%	-65%
Tel Aviv	Israel	2,125	0	+68%	-82%
Kingston	Jamaica	2,103	535	+108%	-34%
San Salvador	El Salvador	2,069	228	+77%	-15%
Bogota	Colombia	1,748	163	+16%	-88%
Ciudad Juarez	Mexico	1,694	565	+83%	-75%
Jakarta	Indonesia	1,546	83	-15%	-69%
Tegucigalpa	Honduras	1,544	93	+17%	-52%

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 2020	Dec 2020	Change
Kathmandu	220	629	+186%
London	516	1,192	+131%
Santiago	540	1,207	+124%
Cairo	294	657	+123%
Dhaka	661	1,429	+116%
Abuja	269	567	+111%
Beijing	301	625	+108%
Kingston	1,013	2,103	+108%

Largest falls

Post	Nov 2020	Dec 2020	Change
Toronto	409	225	-45%
Bangkok	652	421	-35%
Tijuana	8,399	5,552	-34%
Hyderabad	1,979	1,472	-26%
Addis Ababa	1,733	1,448	-16%
Auckland	273	228	-16%
Jakarta	1,809	1,546	-15%
Kuwait City	565	496	-12%

Visa classes in Dec 2020

Nonimmigrant

Class	Issued	Share
B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure	45,111	28.7%
BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card	27,825	17.7%
F1 Student in an academic or language training prog	22,832	14.5%
C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa	10,675	6.8%
H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service	9,418	6%
H2B Temporary worker performing other services	5,664	3.6%
J1 Exchange visitor	5,229	3.3%
H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil	3,327	2.1%
E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child	2,962	1.9%
H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3	2,537	1.6%
A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o	2,439	1.6%
TN NAFTA professional	2,181	1.4%
BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li	2,149	1.4%
F2 Spouse or child of F1	1,420	0.9%
L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee	1,192	0.8%

Immigrant

Class	Issued	Share
IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen	4,179	37.2%
IR2 Child of U.S. citizen	2,389	21.3%
CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status)	2,341	20.8%
E31 Immigrant visa class E31 (no description in the	445	4%
CR2 Child of U.S. citizen (conditional status)	244	2.2%
E35 Immigrant visa class E35 (no description in the	238	2.1%
SQ3 Child of SQ1	197	1.8%
E34 Immigrant visa class E34 (no description in the	189	1.7%
IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age	172	1.5%
IH3 Child adopted abroad by U.S. citizen under Hague	92	0.8%
SB1 Returning resident	90	0.8%
IR3 Orphan adopted abroad by U.S. citizen	59	0.5%

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 2020?

157,225 nonimmigrant visas and 11,233 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.

Which posts issued the most visas in December 2020?

Monterrey (17,801), Mexico City (12,766), Manila (6,072), Tijuana (5,552) and Santo Domingo (5,539).

Which posts changed most in December 2020?

Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Kathmandu (+186%), London (+131%) and Santiago (+124%) and the largest falls Toronto (-45%), Bangkok (-35%) and Tijuana (-34%).

Where does this data come from?

The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for December 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 December 2020, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.