Months › May 2022
May 2022 · all posts · fiscal year 2022
U.S. visa issuances in May 2022
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 668,835 nonimmigrant visas in May 2022, about the same as the 605,651 of the previous month and +171% against the same month a year earlier (247,222).
42,096 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 26,204 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Mexico City (47,455), Monterrey (46,771) and Sao Paulo (33,016); 214 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 48.1%, BBBCC at 16.1% and J1 at 6.6% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to May 2022
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in May 2022
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 47,455 | 1 | +34% | +54% |
| Monterrey | Mexico | 46,771 | 0 | -23% | +90% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 33,016 | 0 | +13% | +4122% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 30,156 | 0 | +28% | +561% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 24,628 | 59 | +11% | +483% |
| New Delhi | India | 24,238 | 59 | +4% | +4816% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 16,675 | 488 | -4% | +5349% |
| Manila | Philippines | 16,649 | 1,773 | +30% | +178% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 16,332 | 1,107 | +18% | +262% |
| Chennai | India | 14,844 | 0 | +31% | +6497% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 12,495 | 0 | -7% | -4% |
| Quito | Ecuador | 12,242 | 0 | +31% | +175% |
| London | United Kingdom | 11,988 | 511 | +13% | +622% |
| Mumbai | India | 11,194 | 1,985 | -2% | +1711% |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 11,153 | 6,175 | +13% | +242% |
| Hyderabad | India | 10,694 | 0 | +30% | +10183% |
| Recife | Brazil | 9,910 | 0 | +38% | +13475% |
| Brasilia | Brazil | 9,506 | 0 | +11% | +2241% |
| Tel Aviv | Israel | 9,131 | 0 | -1% | +74% |
| Porto Alegre | Brazil | 8,663 | 0 | +35% | +999% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 7,345 | 2,979 | -3% | +5% |
| Guayaquil | Ecuador | 6,986 | 145 | +16% | +84% |
| Lima | Peru | 6,548 | 450 | +26% | -13% |
| Guatemala City | Guatemala | 6,242 | 486 | +17% | +464% |
| Jakarta | Indonesia | 6,071 | 55 | -19% | +173% |
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 2022 | May 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guangzhou | 1,800 | 6,005 | +234% |
| Hong Kong | 1,176 | 3,012 | +156% |
| Nuevo Laredo | 2,299 | 5,574 | +142% |
| Dublin | 1,296 | 3,096 | +139% |
| Beijing | 2,065 | 4,424 | +114% |
| Madrid | 2,085 | 4,312 | +107% |
| Helsinki | 210 | 428 | +104% |
| Halifax | 217 | 436 | +101% |
Largest falls
| Post | Apr 2022 | May 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lagos | 11,384 | 4,494 | -61% |
| Colombo | 1,053 | 528 | -50% |
| Georgetown | 596 | 335 | -44% |
| Cape Town | 2,705 | 1,624 | -40% |
| Accra | 1,356 | 868 | -36% |
| Yaounde | 765 | 507 | -34% |
| Bridgetown | 1,472 | 980 | -33% |
| Dhahran | 1,021 | 721 | -29% |
Visa classes in May 2022
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 321,598 | 48.1% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 107,804 | 16.1% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 43,922 | 6.6% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 37,553 | 5.6% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 35,832 | 5.4% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 21,185 | 3.2% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 20,723 | 3.1% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 13,710 | 2% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 8,794 | 1.3% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 6,766 | 1% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 6,705 | 1% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 6,431 | 1% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 5,477 | 0.8% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,487 | 0.5% |
| TN NAFTA professional | 2,958 | 0.4% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 7,383 | 17.5% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 7,154 | 17% |
| FX Family second preference, exempt from country li | 5,275 | 12.5% |
| DV Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 4,900 | 11.6% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 3,846 | 9.1% |
| F4 Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U | 3,422 | 8.1% |
| E3 Employment third preference: skilled worker or p | 1,933 | 4.6% |
| F1 Family first preference: unmarried son or daught | 1,327 | 3.2% |
| F2B Family second preference (2B): unmarried son or | 1,131 | 2.7% |
| F3 Family third preference: married son or daughter | 1,022 | 2.4% |
| SQ Immigrant visa class SQ (no description in the D | 1,007 | 2.4% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 915 | 2.2% |
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 2022?
668,835 nonimmigrant visas and 42,096 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in May 2022?
Mexico City (47,455), Monterrey (46,771), Sao Paulo (33,016), Guadalajara (30,156) and Buenos Aires (24,628).
Which posts changed most in May 2022?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Guangzhou (+234%), Hong Kong (+156%) and Nuevo Laredo (+142%) and the largest falls Lagos (-61%), Colombo (-50%) and Georgetown (-44%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for May 2022. 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 2022, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.