Bern · Switzerland · October 2023
Visas issued at Bern in October 2023
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 2023 | Share | Sep 2023 | Oct 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 1,659 | 69.2% | 1,940 | 862 |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 146 | 6.1% | 183 | 132 |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 94 | 3.9% | 89 | 75 |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 86 | 3.6% | 68 | 63 |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 79 | 3.3% | 89 | 116 |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 65 | 2.7% | 67 | 48 |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 44 | 1.8% | 10 | 10 |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 40 | 1.7% | 36 | 29 |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 37 | 1.5% | 76 | 28 |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 23 | 1% | 19 | 18 |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 22 | 0.9% | 24 | 20 |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 19 | 0.8% | 14 | 15 |
| B2 | Temporary visitor for pleasure | 16 | 0.7% | 6 | 0 |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 10 | 0.4% | 20 | 10 |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 9 | 0.4% | 19 | 46 |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 7 | 0.3% | 8 | 1 |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 6 | 0.3% | 19 | 15 |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 6 | 0.3% | 2 | 3 |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 4 | 0.2% | 4 | 4 |
| C3 | Foreign government official, immediate family, attendant, servant or personal employee, in transit | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | 1 |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 3 | 0.1% | 2 | 2 |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | 2 |
| R2 | Spouse or child of R1 | 3 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 2 | 0.1% | 5 | 3 |
| P3 | Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program | 2 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 2 | 0.1% | 2 | 2 |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 1 | 0% | 0 | 2 |
| E1 | Treaty trader, spouse or child | 1 | 0% | 1 | 0 |
| E3 | Australian specialty occupation professional | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| E3D | Spouse or child of Australian specialty occupation professional | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 1 | 0% | 1 | 0 |
| Q1 | Participant in an international cultural exchange program | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 |
Immigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Oct 2023 | Share | Sep 2023 | Oct 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 7 | 29.2% | 5 | 4 |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 6 | 25% | 5 | 2 |
| E1 | Employment first preference (priority workers): person with extraordinary ability, outstanding professor or researcher, multinational executive or manager, spouse and child (E11-E15) | 4 | 16.7% | 1 | 0 |
| SB1 | Returning resident | 4 | 16.7% | 5 | 0 |
| CR2 | Child of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 1 | 4.2% | 0 | 0 |
| E2 | Employment second preference: professional holding advanced degree or alien of exceptional ability, spouse and child (E21-E23) | 1 | 4.2% | 2 | 0 |
| E3 | Employment third preference: skilled worker or professional holding baccalaureate degree, spouse and child (E31, E32, E34, E35) | 1 | 4.2% | 0 | 0 |
Context
| October 2023 | Bern | All posts |
|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas | 2,396 | 885,241 |
| Change on previous month | -12% | +4% |
| Change on same month a year earlier | +58% | +26% |
| Immigrant visas | 24 | 46,695 |
Nearest wait-time reading on or before the end of Oct 2023 (12 Oct 2023): B1/B2 next available 14 days; F, M, J 7 days; H, L, O, P, Q 13 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 · Oct 2024 · Sep 2024 · Aug 2024 · Jul 2024 · Jun 2024 · May 2024 · Apr 2024 · Mar 2024 · Feb 2024 · Jan 2024 · Dec 2023 · Nov 2023. Back to the Bern page.
Questions and answers
How many visas did Bern issue in October 2023?
2,396 nonimmigrant visas and 24 immigrant visas, per the State Department's monthly tables for October 2023. That was the 78th largest nonimmigrant count among 217 posts that month.
How did October 2023 compare with the month before and a year earlier at Bern?
September 2023: 2,713 nonimmigrant visas (-12% to Oct 2023). October 2022: 1,513 (+58%).
Which classes made up the month?
B1/B2 1,659 (69.2%), C1/D 146 (6.1%), J1 94 (3.9%), F1 86 (3.6%), G4 79 (3.3%).
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 2023, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.