Posts › Abu Dhabi › December 2023
Abu Dhabi · United Arab Emirates · December 2023
Visas issued at Abu Dhabi in December 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) | Dec 2023 | Share | Nov 2023 | Dec 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 1,137 | 70% | 3,799 | 2,156 |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 154 | 9.5% | 383 | 212 |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 131 | 8.1% | 215 | 144 |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 45 | 2.8% | 107 | 102 |
| A3 | Attendant, servant, or personal employee of A1 or A2, or immediate family | 41 | 2.5% | 4 | 0 |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 22 | 1.4% | 40 | 27 |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 15 | 0.9% | 18 | 16 |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 14 | 0.9% | 1 | 5 |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 10 | 0.6% | 43 | 36 |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 10 | 0.6% | 15 | 13 |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 9 | 0.6% | 14 | 7 |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 9 | 0.6% | 15 | 17 |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 5 | 0.3% | 3 | 5 |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 5 | 0.3% | 17 | 8 |
| D | Crewmember (sea or air) | 4 | 0.2% | 8 | 23 |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 4 | 0.2% | 8 | 7 |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 3 | 0.2% | 6 | 0 |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | 1 |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 1 | 0.1% | 0 | 1 |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 1 | 0.1% | 3 | 0 |
| G5 | Attendant, servant, or personal employee of G1 through G4, and immediate family | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | 0 |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | 0 |
Immigrant classes
| Class | Description (State Department) | Dec 2023 | Share | Nov 2023 | Dec 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 31 | 26.7% | 68 | 101 |
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 18 | 15.5% | 41 | 38 |
| E2 | Employment second preference: professional holding advanced degree or alien of exceptional ability, spouse and child (E21-E23) | 12 | 10.3% | 15 | 9 |
| E3 | Employment third preference: skilled worker or professional holding baccalaureate degree, spouse and child (E31, E32, E34, E35) | 9 | 7.8% | 12 | 39 |
| SQ3 | Child of SQ1 | 9 | 7.8% | 20 | 7 |
| I5 | Investor pilot program (regional center) in targeted area, spouse and child (I51-I53) | 8 | 6.9% | 6 | 4 |
| F4 | Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age, spouse and child (F41, F42, F43) | 7 | 6% | 44 | 57 |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 5 | 4.3% | 3 | 6 |
| F3 | Family third preference: married son or daughter of U.S. citizen, spouse and child (F31, F32, F33, C31-C33, B31-B33) | 4 | 3.4% | 11 | 15 |
| DV | Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 2 | 1.7% | 16 | 20 |
| FX | Family second preference, exempt from country limitations: spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (FX1, FX2, FX3, CX1-CX3, BX1-BX3) | 2 | 1.7% | 6 | 12 |
| IR2 | Child of U.S. citizen | 2 | 1.7% | 11 | 11 |
| SQ1 | Certain Iraqis or Afghans employed by or on behalf of the U.S. Government | 2 | 1.7% | 9 | 3 |
| SQ2 | Spouse of SQ1 | 2 | 1.7% | 4 | 2 |
| CR2 | Child of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 1 | 0.9% | 0 | 0 |
| F2A | Family second preference (2A): spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (F21, F22, F23, C21-C23, B21-B23) | 1 | 0.9% | 0 | 0 |
| F2B | Family second preference (2B): unmarried son or daughter of lawful permanent resident, and child (F24, F25, C24, C25, B24, B25) | 1 | 0.9% | 3 | 4 |
Context
| December 2023 | Abu Dhabi | All posts |
|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas | 1,624 | 755,973 |
| Change on previous month | -66% | -7% |
| Change on same month a year earlier | -42% | +1% |
| Immigrant visas | 116 | 46,279 |
Nearest wait-time reading on or before the end of Dec 2023 (17 Dec 2023): B1/B2 next available 415 days; F, M, J 30 days; H, L, O, P, Q 49 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 · Nov 2023 · Oct 2023. Back to the Abu Dhabi page.
Questions and answers
How many visas did Abu Dhabi issue in December 2023?
1,624 nonimmigrant visas and 116 immigrant visas, per the State Department's monthly tables for December 2023. That was the 91th largest nonimmigrant count among 217 posts that month.
How did December 2023 compare with the month before and a year earlier at Abu Dhabi?
November 2023: 4,712 nonimmigrant visas (-66% to Dec 2023). December 2022: 2,790 (-42%).
Which classes made up the month?
B1/B2 1,137 (70%), F1 154 (9.5%), A2 131 (8.1%), C1/D 45 (2.8%), A3 41 (2.5%).
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 December 2023, public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.