Sofia · Bulgaria · January 2025
Visas issued at Sofia in January 2025
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.
Nonimmigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Jan 2025 | Share | Dec 2024 | Jan 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 1,234 | 89.2% | 1,145 | 1,284 |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 71 | 5.1% | 76 | 78 |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 11 | 0.8% | 18 | 32 |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 11 | 0.8% | 11 | 29 |
| NATO2 | Other representative of member state to NATO and immediate family; dependents of member of a force entering under the NATO agreements; members of such a force if issued visas | 11 | 0.8% | 13 | 9 |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 6 | 0.4% | 7 | 4 |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 6 | 0.4% | 6 | 2 |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 5 | 0.4% | 7 | 0 |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 5 | 0.4% | 1 | 41 |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 4 | 0.3% | 1 | 17 |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 3 | 0.2% | 13 | 6 |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 3 | 0.2% | 2 | 0 |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 3 | 0.2% | 9 | 3 |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 2 | 0.1% | 0 | 3 |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | 1 |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 2 | 0.1% | 3 | 2 |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 2 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 3 |
Immigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Jan 2025 | Share | Dec 2024 | Jan 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IH3 | Child adopted abroad by U.S. citizen under Hague Convention | 14 | 36.8% | 4 | 2 |
| DV | Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 10 | 26.3% | 0 | 5 |
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 6 | 15.8% | 2 | 5 |
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 5 | 13.2% | 9 | 15 |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 2 | 5.3% | 3 | 3 |
| IR2 | Child of U.S. citizen | 1 | 2.6% | 0 | 1 |
Context
| January 2025 | Sofia | All posts |
|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas | 1,383 | 954,595 |
| Change on previous month | +4% | +8% |
| Change on same month a year earlier | -9% | +9% |
| Immigrant visas | 38 | 54,288 |
Nearest wait-time reading on or before the end of Jan 2025 (6 Jan 2025): B1/B2 next available 12 days; F, M, J 12 days; H, L, O, P, Q 12 days.
Other months at this post: Sep 2025 · Aug 2025 · Jul 2025 · Jun 2025 · May 2025 · Apr 2025 · Mar 2025 · Feb 2025 · Dec 2024 · Nov 2024 · Oct 2024 · Sep 2024 · Aug 2024 · Jul 2024 · Jun 2024 · May 2024 · Apr 2024 · Mar 2024 · Feb 2024 · Jan 2024 · Dec 2023 · Nov 2023 · Oct 2023. Back to the Sofia page.
Questions and answers
How many visas did Sofia issue in January 2025?
1,383 nonimmigrant visas and 38 immigrant visas, per the State Department's monthly tables for January 2025. That was the 108th largest nonimmigrant count among 216 posts that month.
How did January 2025 compare with the month before and a year earlier at Sofia?
December 2024: 1,325 nonimmigrant visas (+4% to Jan 2025). January 2024: 1,522 (-9%).
Which classes made up the month?
B1/B2 1,234 (89.2%), C1/D 71 (5.1%), B1 11 (0.8%), J1 11 (0.8%), NATO2 11 (0.8%).
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuances by Post and Visa Class and Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuances by Post and Visa Class for January 2025, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.