Visa classes › Temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, E, R, TN, I, CW) › O1
O1 · nonimmigrant visa · Temporary workers
O1: Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics
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.
O1 is the State Department's symbol for "Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics". 1,526 O1 nonimmigrant visas were issued worldwide in September 2025, down 10% on September 2024 (1,691), 0.2% of the month's nonimmigrant issuances and the 19th largest class of 70.
For the full fiscal year the Department's Report of the Visa Office lists 19,457 O1 visas in FY2024, 0.2% of all nonimmigrant visas issued that year and the 21st largest class of 76. The previous year's figure was 18,994 (FY2023).
132 posts issued at least one O1 visa in September 2025. The largest were London (305, 20%), Paris (90, 5.9%) and Madrid (64, 4.2%).
By nationality, the largest groups that month were Great Britain and Northern Ireland (247), China - mainland (113) and India (111).
Issuances by month
Compared with its group and all nonimmigrant classes
| Measure | O1 | Temporary workers group | All nonimmigrant classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visas issued, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | 19,457 | 1,164,835 | 10,969,936 |
| Visas issued, Sep 2025 | 1,526 | 77,332 | 823,557 |
| Change on Sep 2024 | -10% | — | -11% |
| Share of nonimmigrant issuances, Sep 2025 | 0.2% | 9.4% | 100% |
Posts issuing the most O1 visas, September 2025
132 posts issued at least one in the month. Shares of the month's O1 total: London 20%, Paris 5.9%, Madrid 4.2%, Sao Paulo 3.3%, Shanghai 3.1%.
By nationality, September 2025
| Nationality | Issued, Sep 2025 | Share of O1 |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 247 | 16.2% |
| China - mainland | 113 | 7.4% |
| India | 111 | 7.3% |
| Brazil | 90 | 5.9% |
| France | 87 | 5.7% |
| Mexico | 71 | 4.7% |
| Australia | 68 | 4.5% |
| Italy | 62 | 4.1% |
| Spain | 56 | 3.7% |
| Germany | 54 | 3.5% |
| Israel | 36 | 2.4% |
| Korea, South | 31 | 2% |
| Ireland | 26 | 1.7% |
| Russia | 26 | 1.7% |
| Argentina | 25 | 1.6% |
| Netherlands | 24 | 1.6% |
| Japan | 23 | 1.5% |
| Sweden | 21 | 1.4% |
| Turkey | 19 | 1.2% |
| Colombia | 18 | 1.2% |
Fiscal years, Report of the Visa Office
| Fiscal year (Oct–Sep) | O1 issued | Change |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | 13,865 | — |
| FY2016 | 15,918 | +15% |
| FY2017 | 17,011 | +7% |
| FY2018 | 16,904 | -1% |
| FY2019 | 17,751 | +5% |
| FY2020 | 8,838 | -50% |
| FY2021 | 7,294 | -17% |
| FY2022 | 19,102 | +162% |
| FY2023 | 18,994 | -1% |
| FY2024 | 19,457 | +2% |
The Department's annual NIV detail table, worldwide total row for this symbol. No monthly reports are summed.
Other classes in the same group
- H2A Temporary worker performing agricultural services (21,116 in Sep 2025)
- H1B Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability perfo… (11,578 in Sep 2025)
- H2B Temporary worker performing other services (10,200 in Sep 2025)
- H4 Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 (7,324 in Sep 2025)
- L1 Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and speci… (6,019 in Sep 2025)
- L2 Spouse or child of intracompany transferee (4,711 in Sep 2025)
- E2 Treaty investor, spouse or child (4,329 in Sep 2025)
- P1 Internationally recognized athlete or member of internati… (2,209 in Sep 2025)
- TN NAFTA professional (1,507 in Sep 2025)
- O2 Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athl… (1,225 in Sep 2025)
- I Representative of foreign information media, spouse and c… (1,089 in Sep 2025)
- P3 Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program (1,010 in Sep 2025)
- TD Spouse or child of TN (750 in Sep 2025)
- O3 Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 (447 in Sep 2025)
- E1 Treaty trader, spouse or child (400 in Sep 2025)
- R1 Alien in a religious occupation (366 in Sep 2025)
- E3 Australian specialty occupation professional (284 in Sep 2025)
- H1B1 Free Trade Agreement professional (198 in Sep 2025)
- E3R Returning Australian specialty occupation professional (187 in Sep 2025)
- Q1 Participant in an international cultural exchange program (187 in Sep 2025)
- CW1 Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands transitional worker (184 in Sep 2025)
- E3D Spouse or child of Australian specialty occupation profes… (173 in Sep 2025)
- R2 Spouse or child of R1 (132 in Sep 2025)
- P4 Spouse or child of P-1, P-2, or P-3 (93 in Sep 2025)
- H3 Trainee (49 in Sep 2025)
- CW2 Spouse or child of CW-1 (34 in Sep 2025)
- P2 Artist or entertainer in a reciprocal exchange program (3 in Sep 2025)
- E2C Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands investor, spouse… (2 in Sep 2025)
- H1C Shortage area nurse (0 in Sep 2025)
Questions and answers
What is a O1 visa?
The State Department's symbol list describes O1 as "Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics". It is a nonimmigrant (temporary) class.
How many O1 visas were issued last year?
19,457 in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office, the Department's final annual figure. In September 2025, the latest monthly report, 1,526 were issued.
How does September 2025 compare with a year earlier for O1?
1,526 issued, down 10% on September 2024 (1,691).
Which posts issue the most O1 visas?
In September 2025: London (305), Paris (90), Madrid (64), Sao Paulo (51) and Shanghai (47), out of 132 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.