Months › May 2021
May 2021 · all posts · fiscal year 2021
U.S. visa issuances in May 2021
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 247,222 nonimmigrant visas in May 2021, about the same as the 247,833 of the previous month and +504% against the same month a year earlier (40,939).
26,204 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 697 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (30,761), Monterrey (24,563) and Tijuana (12,955); 217 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 28%, F1 at 15.7% and BBBCC at 14.6% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to May 2021
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in May 2021
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 30,761 | 0 | -7% | +15128% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 24,563 | 0 | -29% | +39% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 12,955 | 0 | +36% | +115% |
| Beijing | China | 11,507 | 0 | +4540% | +6401% |
| Lima | Peru | 7,542 | 132 | +30% | +94175% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 7,006 | 1,904 | +17% | +29092% |
| Manila | Philippines | 5,991 | 994 | -3% | +54364% |
| Shanghai | China | 5,900 | 0 | +3542% | +73650% |
| Guangzhou | China | 5,606 | 2,441 | +3014% | +13573% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 5,248 | 0 | -8% | +3787% |
| Kingston | Jamaica | 4,667 | 367 | +7% | +446% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 4,565 | 0 | -1% | +3281% |
| Seoul | South Korea | 4,527 | 299 | +57% | +1029% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 4,506 | 523 | +22% | +3853% |
| Quito | Ecuador | 4,446 | 0 | +84% | +18425% |
| Hermosillo | Mexico | 4,287 | 0 | -5% | +278% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 4,227 | 65 | -9% | +1676% |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 3,801 | 264 | -3% | +27050% |
| Nuevo Laredo | Mexico | 3,329 | 0 | -18% | +146% |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 3,257 | 3,113 | +52% | +6414% |
| Tokyo | Japan | 2,474 | 114 | -23% | +948% |
| Matamoros | Mexico | 2,414 | 0 | -30% | +185% |
| Tegucigalpa | Honduras | 2,412 | 228 | +31% | +3116% |
| San Jose | Costa Rica | 2,267 | 80 | -7% | +396% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 2,223 | 2,324 | -4% | +19% |
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 | Apr 2021 | May 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 248 | 11,507 | +4540% |
| Dhaka | 261 | 799 | +206% |
| Bucharest | 681 | 1,853 | +172% |
| Berlin | 437 | 971 | +122% |
| Asuncion | 342 | 730 | +113% |
| Lagos | 826 | 1,743 | +111% |
| Kuwait City | 568 | 1,097 | +93% |
| Quito | 2,422 | 4,446 | +84% |
Largest falls
| Post | Apr 2021 | May 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 11,731 | 225 | -98% |
| New Delhi | 9,670 | 493 | -95% |
| Mumbai | 2,146 | 618 | -71% |
| Cape Town | 812 | 288 | -65% |
| Moscow | 616 | 263 | -57% |
| Guatemala City | 2,406 | 1,106 | -54% |
| Johannesburg | 1,052 | 529 | -50% |
| Port of Spain | 625 | 335 | -46% |
Visa classes in May 2021
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 69,259 | 28% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 38,777 | 15.7% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 36,083 | 14.6% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 34,368 | 13.9% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 16,763 | 6.8% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 11,105 | 4.5% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 5,522 | 2.2% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 4,976 | 2% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 4,505 | 1.8% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 2,233 | 0.9% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 2,070 | 0.8% |
| TN NAFTA professional | 2,043 | 0.8% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 1,891 | 0.8% |
| F2 Spouse or child of F1 | 1,827 | 0.7% |
| K1 Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 1,736 | 0.7% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 6,237 | 23.8% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 5,027 | 19.2% |
| FX Family second preference, exempt from country li | 2,761 | 10.5% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 2,734 | 10.4% |
| F4 Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U | 1,690 | 6.4% |
| DV Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 965 | 3.7% |
| F3 Family third preference: married son or daughter | 961 | 3.7% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 929 | 3.5% |
| F1 Family first preference: unmarried son or daught | 829 | 3.2% |
| E3 Employment third preference: skilled worker or p | 805 | 3.1% |
| F2B Family second preference (2B): unmarried son or | 756 | 2.9% |
| SQ Immigrant visa class SQ (no description in the D | 621 | 2.4% |
May in other years
| Month | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant |
|---|---|---|
| May 2019 | 857,267 | 39,393 |
| May 2020 | 40,939 | 697 |
| May 2021 | 247,222 | 26,204 |
| May 2022 | 668,835 | 42,096 |
| May 2023 | 1,013,283 | 57,068 |
| May 2024 | 1,070,656 | 58,778 |
| May 2025 | 897,937 | 46,751 |
Questions and answers
How many U.S. visas were issued in May 2021?
247,222 nonimmigrant visas and 26,204 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in May 2021?
Mexico City (30,761), Monterrey (24,563), Tijuana (12,955), Beijing (11,507) and Lima (7,542).
Which posts changed most in May 2021?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Beijing (+4540%), Dhaka (+206%) and Bucharest (+172%) and the largest falls Chennai (-98%), New Delhi (-95%) and Mumbai (-71%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for May 2021. 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 May 2021, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.