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Colombo · Sri Lanka · October 2024
Visas issued at Colombo in October 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.
Nonimmigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Oct 2024 | Share | Sep 2024 | Oct 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 592 | 80.3% | 474 | 755 |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 40 | 5.4% | 40 | 82 |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 18 | 2.4% | 17 | 3 |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 15 | 2% | 8 | 6 |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 9 | 1.2% | 4 | 6 |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 8 | 1.1% | 20 | 20 |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 8 | 1.1% | 10 | 12 |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 6 | 0.8% | 2 | 10 |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 6 | 0.8% | 8 | 4 |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 5 | 0.7% | 11 | 3 |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 5 | 0.7% | 3 | 8 |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 4 | 0.5% | 33 | 28 |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 4 | 0.5% | 15 | 9 |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 3 | 0.4% | 8 | 8 |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 3 | 0.4% | 3 | 10 |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 3 | 0.4% | 4 | 5 |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 2 | 0.3% | 0 | 0 |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 2 | 0.3% | 4 | 0 |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | 2 |
| K2 | Child of K-1 | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 1 | 0.1% | 2 | 12 |
| TD | Spouse or child of TN | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
Immigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Oct 2024 | Share | Sep 2024 | Oct 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | Family third preference: married son or daughter of U.S. citizen, spouse and child (F31, F32, F33, C31-C33, B31-B33) | 23 | 26.4% | 3 | 1 |
| F4 | Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age, spouse and child (F41, F42, F43) | 19 | 21.8% | 6 | 5 |
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 12 | 13.8% | 5 | 9 |
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 11 | 12.6% | 3 | 31 |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 5 | 5.7% | 1 | 2 |
| GV1 | Certain employee or former employee of the U.S. Government abroad | 3 | 3.4% | 0 | 0 |
| GV2 | Spouse of GV1 | 3 | 3.4% | 0 | 0 |
| F2A | Family second preference (2A): spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (F21, F22, F23, C21-C23, B21-B23) | 2 | 2.3% | 4 | 0 |
| FX | Family second preference, exempt from country limitations: spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (FX1, FX2, FX3, CX1-CX3, BX1-BX3) | 2 | 2.3% | 0 | 0 |
| GV3 | Child of GV1 | 2 | 2.3% | 0 | 0 |
| IR2 | Child of U.S. citizen | 2 | 2.3% | 3 | 6 |
| E2 | Employment second preference: professional holding advanced degree or alien of exceptional ability, spouse and child (E21-E23) | 1 | 1.1% | 0 | 0 |
| F1 | Family first preference: unmarried son or daughter of U.S. citizen, and child (F11, F12, B11, B12) | 1 | 1.1% | 0 | 0 |
| F2B | Family second preference (2B): unmarried son or daughter of lawful permanent resident, and child (F24, F25, C24, C25, B24, B25) | 1 | 1.1% | 0 | 0 |
Context
| October 2024 | Colombo | All posts |
|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas | 737 | 977,715 |
| Change on previous month | +10% | +6% |
| Change on same month a year earlier | -26% | +10% |
| Immigrant visas | 87 | 62,832 |
Nearest wait-time reading on or before the end of Oct 2024 (2 Oct 2024): B1/B2 next available 135 days; F, M, J 73 days; H, L, O, P, Q 2 days.
Other months at this post: Sep 2025 · Aug 2025 · Jul 2025 · Jun 2025 · May 2025 · Apr 2025 · Mar 2025 · Feb 2025 · Jan 2025 · Dec 2024 · Nov 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 Colombo page.
Questions and answers
How many visas did Colombo issue in October 2024?
737 nonimmigrant visas and 87 immigrant visas, per the State Department's monthly tables for October 2024. That was the 131th largest nonimmigrant count among 217 posts that month.
How did October 2024 compare with the month before and a year earlier at Colombo?
September 2024: 671 nonimmigrant visas (+10% to Oct 2024). October 2023: 993 (-26%).
Which classes made up the month?
B1/B2 592 (80.3%), C1/D 40 (5.4%), G2 18 (2.4%), H1B 15 (2%), H4 9 (1.2%).
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 October 2024, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.