Visa classes › Visitors (B) › B1/B2
B1/B2 · nonimmigrant visa · Visitors
B1/B2: Temporary visitor for business and pleasure
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.
B1/B2 is the State Department's symbol for "Temporary visitor for business and pleasure". 525,902 B1/B2 nonimmigrant visas were issued worldwide in September 2025, close to September 2024 (568,829, -8%), 63.9% of the month's nonimmigrant issuances and the 1st largest class of 70.
For the full fiscal year the Department's Report of the Visa Office lists 6,498,006 B1/B2 visas in FY2024, 59.2% of all nonimmigrant visas issued that year and the 1st largest class of 76. The previous year's figure was 5,902,426 (FY2023).
211 posts issued at least one B1/B2 visa in September 2025. The largest were Bogota (43,668, 8.3%), Sao Paulo (37,135, 7.1%) and Buenos Aires (28,735, 5.5%).
By nationality, the largest groups that month were China - mainland (84,363), Brazil (80,541) and India (70,903).
Issuances by month
Compared with its group and all nonimmigrant classes
| Measure | B1/B2 | Visitors group | All nonimmigrant classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visas issued, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | 6,498,006 | 8,453,374 | 10,969,936 |
| Visas issued, Sep 2025 | 525,902 | 679,462 | 823,557 |
| Change on Sep 2024 | -8% | — | -11% |
| Share of nonimmigrant issuances, Sep 2025 | 63.9% | 82.5% | 100% |
Posts issuing the most B1/B2 visas, September 2025
211 posts issued at least one in the month. Shares of the month's B1/B2 total: Bogota 8.3%, Sao Paulo 7.1%, Buenos Aires 5.5%, Shanghai 3.9%, Guangzhou 3.8%.
By nationality, September 2025
| Nationality | Issued, Sep 2025 | Share of B1/B2 |
|---|---|---|
| China - mainland | 84,363 | 16% |
| Brazil | 80,541 | 15.3% |
| India | 70,903 | 13.5% |
| Colombia | 45,702 | 8.7% |
| Argentina | 29,037 | 5.5% |
| Ecuador | 15,566 | 3% |
| Dominican Republic | 14,479 | 2.8% |
| Costa Rica | 11,453 | 2.2% |
| Vietnam | 11,183 | 2.1% |
| Peru | 10,657 | 2% |
| Turkey | 10,615 | 2% |
| Philippines | 9,292 | 1.8% |
| Guatemala | 7,491 | 1.4% |
| Jamaica | 5,527 | 1.1% |
| Panama | 5,256 | 1% |
| Thailand | 5,080 | 1% |
| Pakistan | 4,826 | 0.9% |
| El Salvador | 3,994 | 0.8% |
| Honduras | 3,980 | 0.8% |
| Hong Kong S.A.R. | 3,934 | 0.7% |
Fiscal years, Report of the Visa Office
| Fiscal year (Oct–Sep) | B1/B2 issued | Change |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | 7,199,807 | — |
| FY2016 | 6,881,797 | -4% |
| FY2017 | 6,276,851 | -9% |
| FY2018 | 5,708,278 | -9% |
| FY2019 | 5,297,439 | -7% |
| FY2020 | 2,164,021 | -59% |
| FY2021 | 814,957 | -62% |
| FY2022 | 3,228,199 | +296% |
| FY2023 | 5,902,426 | +83% |
| FY2024 | 6,498,006 | +10% |
The Department's annual NIV detail table, worldwide total row for this symbol. No monthly reports are summed.
Other classes in the same group
- BBBCC Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (149,591 in Sep 2025)
- B1 Temporary visitor for business (2,095 in Sep 2025)
- BBBCV Combination B-1/B-2 and Border Crossing Card (Lincoln Foil) (1,609 in Sep 2025)
- B2 Temporary visitor for pleasure (265 in Sep 2025)
Questions and answers
What is a B1/B2 visa?
The State Department's symbol list describes B1/B2 as "Temporary visitor for business and pleasure". It is a nonimmigrant (temporary) class.
How many B1/B2 visas were issued last year?
6,498,006 in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office, the Department's final annual figure. In September 2025, the latest monthly report, 525,902 were issued.
How does September 2025 compare with a year earlier for B1/B2?
525,902 issued, close to September 2024 (568,829, -8%).
Which posts issue the most B1/B2 visas?
In September 2025: Bogota (43,668), Sao Paulo (37,135), Buenos Aires (28,735), Shanghai (20,743) and Guangzhou (20,139), out of 211 posts that issued any.
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant visa issuance tables by post and by nationality, March 2017 to September 2025, and the Report of the Visa Office annual NIV detail tables. Class descriptions are the Department's own.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, monthly nonimmigrant visa issuance tables by post and by nationality, Mar 2017 to Sep 2025, and the Report of the Visa Office NIV detail tables, public domain. The class description is quoted from the Department's Nonimmigrant Visa Symbols list. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.