Months › May 2024
May 2024 · all posts · fiscal year 2024
U.S. visa issuances in May 2024
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 1,070,656 nonimmigrant visas in May 2024, about the same as the 1,054,900 of the previous month and +6% against the same month a year earlier (1,013,283).
58,778 immigrant visas were issued in the month, against 57,068 a year earlier.
The largest posts were Monterrey (64,113), Mexico City (55,143) and Sao Paulo (51,976); 217 posts appear in the month's tables.
B1/B2 at 55.9%, BBBCC at 16.3% and F1 at 5.4% made up the largest shares of the month's nonimmigrant issuances.
Worldwide nonimmigrant issuances, 24 months to May 2024
VisitorsStudents and exchange visitorsTemporary workersDiplomatic, official and international organisationTransit and crewOther nonimmigrant classes
Largest posts in May 2024
| Post | Country | Nonimmigrant | Immigrant | vs prior month | vs year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey | Mexico | 64,113 | 0 | -2% | +4% |
| Mexico City | Mexico | 55,143 | 1 | +8% | +8% |
| Sao Paulo | Brazil | 51,976 | 0 | -7% | +20% |
| Guadalajara | Mexico | 47,123 | 0 | +18% | +24% |
| Bogota | Colombia | 44,381 | 888 | -6% | -9% |
| New Delhi | India | 40,192 | 37 | +18% | +48% |
| Chennai | India | 33,643 | 0 | -1% | +9% |
| Beijing | China | 29,816 | 0 | +23% | +104% |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 26,838 | 118 | +4% | +4% |
| Manila | Philippines | 26,758 | 4,272 | +6% | +16% |
| Shanghai | China | 25,429 | 0 | +32% | +96% |
| Mumbai | India | 22,687 | 2,243 | -10% | -25% |
| Tijuana | Mexico | 21,737 | 0 | +2% | +17% |
| Hyderabad | India | 17,562 | 0 | -4% | +1% |
| Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 16,296 | 4,161 | +3% | +19% |
| Ciudad Juarez | Mexico | 15,846 | 7,756 | +22% | +6% |
| London | United Kingdom | 15,243 | 471 | -6% | -9% |
| Brasilia | Brazil | 14,647 | 0 | -13% | -18% |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 14,496 | 535 | -22% | -35% |
| Lima | Peru | 14,422 | 584 | -13% | +40% |
| Kingston | Jamaica | 12,940 | 1,680 | -5% | +22% |
| Hermosillo | Mexico | 12,218 | 0 | -3% | +17% |
| Quito | Ecuador | 11,331 | 0 | -10% | -18% |
| Guangzhou | China | 10,760 | 2,881 | +8% | +124% |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 10,556 | 2,847 | +20% | +27% |
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 2024 | May 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erbil | 265 | 447 | +69% |
| Taipei | 2,503 | 4,136 | +65% |
| Abu Dhabi | 3,033 | 4,836 | +59% |
| Jerusalem | 832 | 1,285 | +54% |
| Riyadh | 3,237 | 4,998 | +54% |
| Jeddah | 2,092 | 3,200 | +53% |
| Tel Aviv | 3,849 | 5,837 | +52% |
| Dublin | 3,039 | 4,521 | +49% |
Largest falls
| Post | Apr 2024 | May 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porto Alegre | 15,800 | 1,673 | -89% |
| Zagreb | 814 | 349 | -57% |
| Chisinau | 500 | 254 | -49% |
| Durban | 1,217 | 687 | -44% |
| Sarajevo | 763 | 464 | -39% |
| Sofia | 3,406 | 2,077 | -39% |
| Maputo | 328 | 217 | -34% |
| Johannesburg | 3,971 | 2,678 | -33% |
Visa classes in May 2024
Nonimmigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 598,513 | 55.9% |
| BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card | 174,437 | 16.3% |
| F1 Student in an academic or language training prog | 58,053 | 5.4% |
| J1 Exchange visitor | 56,261 | 5.3% |
| H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural service | 37,614 | 3.5% |
| C1/D Combined transit and crewmember visa | 28,170 | 2.6% |
| H2B Temporary worker performing other services | 17,518 | 1.6% |
| H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and abil | 16,997 | 1.6% |
| H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 15,151 | 1.4% |
| A2 Other foreign government official or employee, o | 10,248 | 1% |
| L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 6,453 | 0.6% |
| L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, | 6,281 | 0.6% |
| E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child | 4,478 | 0.4% |
| K1 Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 4,353 | 0.4% |
| BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Li | 3,627 | 0.3% |
Immigrant
| Class | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IR5 Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 11,198 | 19.1% |
| FX Family second preference, exempt from country li | 8,180 | 13.9% |
| IR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen | 8,013 | 13.6% |
| F4 Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U | 4,923 | 8.4% |
| IR2 Child of U.S. citizen | 4,239 | 7.2% |
| DV Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 4,236 | 7.2% |
| E3 Employment third preference: skilled worker or p | 3,101 | 5.3% |
| F3 Family third preference: married son or daughter | 2,869 | 4.9% |
| SQ3 Child of SQ1 | 1,854 | 3.2% |
| CR1 Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 1,824 | 3.1% |
| F2B Family second preference (2B): unmarried son or | 1,554 | 2.6% |
| I5 Investor pilot program (regional center) in targ | 1,214 | 2.1% |
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 2024?
1,070,656 nonimmigrant visas and 58,778 immigrant visas, according to the State Department's monthly tables, which the Department describes as preliminary.
Which posts issued the most visas in May 2024?
Monterrey (64,113), Mexico City (55,143), Sao Paulo (51,976), Guadalajara (47,123) and Bogota (44,381).
Which posts changed most in May 2024?
Among posts with at least 200 issuances in both months, the largest rises on the previous month were Erbil (+69%), Taipei (+65%) and Abu Dhabi (+59%) and the largest falls Porto Alegre (-89%), Zagreb (-57%) and Chisinau (-49%).
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by post and visa class for May 2024. 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 2024, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.