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By James Anderson•Last Updated April 13, 2025

U.S. Visa Statistics: Annual Issuance Numbers and Trends

U.s. visa statistics: annual issuance numbers and trends

The United States operates one of the world’s virtually complex visa systems, process millions of applications and issue visas to foreign nationals each year. Understand the scale and patterns of u.s. visa issuance provide valuable insights into immigration trends, international relations, and economic patterns.

Overview of annual u.s. visa issuance

Base on data from the U.S. department of state’s bureau of consular affairs, the United States typically issue between 8 10 million visas yearly during normal years. Yet, these numbers can fluctuate importantly base on global events, policy changes, and economic conditions.

Pre-pandemic figures from fiscal year 2019 show roughly 9.2 million total visas issue. This number drop dramatically to roughly 4 million in fiscal year 2020 due to coCOVID-19ravel restrictions and consular closures. Numbers begin recover in subsequent years but haven’t full return to prpre-pandemicevels.

Breakdown by visa categories

U.s. visas fall into two primary categories: nonimmigrant visas for temporary stays and immigrant visas for permanent residence.

Nonimmigrant visa statistics

Nonimmigrant visas make up the vast majority of u.s. visas issue yearly. In typical years, the U.S. issues roughly:

B1 / b2 (tourist / business ) 5 6 million ( (mprise about 60 65 % of all nonimmigrant visas )
)
F / m (student ) 400,000 500,000
J (exchange visitor ) 300,000 350,000
H (temporary workers ) 400,000 500,000
Other categories: roughly 1 million combine

The b1 / b2 visitor visas systematically represent the largest category of visas issue each year, reflect the high volume of tourism and business travel to the United States.

Immigrant visa statistics

The United States issues roughly 500,000 600,000 immigrant visas yearly. These visas aredistributede across several categories:

Family sponsor preferences: roughly 200,000 250,000
Employment base preferences: 140,000 180,000
Immediate relatives of u.s. citizens: 250,000 300,000
Diversity visa program: 50,000 (though actual issuance may be lower )
Special immigrant and refugee categories: varies importantly by year

Regional distribution of u.s. visas

Visa issuance vary importantly by region and country. Base on recent data patterns:

Top regions for visa issuance

Asia: roughly 40 45 % of all visas
North America (include mMexico cCaribbean) 20 25 %
South America: 10 15 %
Europe: 10 15 %
Africa: 5 10 %
Oceania: 1 2 %

Top countries by visa volume

The countries receive the highest number of u.s. visas typically include:

China (ppre-pandemic)
Mexico
India
Brazil
Colombia

Nevertheless, these rankings can shift base on economic conditions, bilateral relations, and policy changes. For example, Chinese visa issuance decline importantly during and after the pandemic.

Visa refusal rates and processing

Not all visa applications result in issuance. Refusal rates vary dramatically by country and visa type:

Refusal rate patterns

Countries with high refusal rates (sometimes exceed 50 % )oftentimes include:

Several African nations (sSomalia lLiberia gGambia)
Some middle eastern countries
Certain south Asian countries

Countries with lower refusal rates (much below 10 % )typically include:

Develop nations in Western Europe
Japan, South Korea, and Singapore
Australia and New Zealand

Processing volumes

The total number of visa applications process yearly typically exceed the number issue by 20 30 %, account for refusals and withdrawals. This mean u.s. consular officers worldwide process roughly 12 13 million visa applications in normal years.

Factors influence annual visa numbers

Several key factors impact the number of visas issue each year:

Policy changes

U.s. immigration policy shifts can dramatically affect visa issuance. For example:

The Trump administration’s travel bans reduce visa issuance to certain countries by more than 80 %
COVID-19 proclamations temporarily halt many visa categories
Changes to visa reciprocity agreements can affect issuance volumes

Global events

Major world events importantly impact visa statistics:

The COVID-19 pandemic cause a 60 % drop in visa issuance in 2020
Economic recessions typically reduce business and tourist visa applications
Regional conflicts can increase refugee and asylum applications

Consular resources

The state department’s staffing and budget allocations affect processing capacity:

Staffing shortages at key posts can create backlogs
Budget constraints may limit interview slots
Technology investments can increase efficiency

Visa caps and numerical limitations

Several visa categories have annual caps that limit issuance:

Employment base visas

H 1b specialty occupation visas: 85,000 annual caps( 65,000 regular + 20,000 advanced degree exemption)
H 2b seasonal non-agricultural workers: 66,000 base allocation, with potential supplements

Permanent immigration caps

Family sponsor preferences: roughly 226,000 yearly
Employment base preferences: 140,000 yearly
Diversity visa program: 50,000 yearly

These caps create significant backlogs in certain categories, specially for applicants from high demand countries like India, china, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Recent trends and future projections

Post pandemic recovery

After the dramatic drop in 2020, visa issuance has been gradually recover:

FY 2021: roughly 5 6 million total visas
FY 2022: roughly 7 8 million total visas

Nonetheless, several factors continue to affect the recovery:

Ongoing consular staffing challenges
Process backlogs in certain visa categories
Change travel patterns post pandemic

Emerge patterns

Several noteworthy trends have emerged in recent visa data:

Student visa issuance has recovered more rapidly than tourism visas
Certain regions show stronger recovery than others
Employment base visas have seen increase demand

Economic impact of u.s. visa issuance

The scale of u.s. visa issuance have significant economic implications:

Tourism and business impact

International visitors to the U.S. contribute roughly $239 billion to the uU.S.economy yearly in normal years. The 5 6 million b1 / b2 visas issue yearly direct support:

The hospitality industry
Retail businesses
Transportation services
Cultural attractions and entertainment

Education sector

The roughly 500,000 student visas issue yearly contribute over $44 billion to the uU.S.economy. International students support:

University revenues
Housing markets near campuses
Local businesses in college towns

Labor market effects

Employment base visas fulfill critical workforce need:

H 1b workers preponderantly support the technology, healthcare, and finance sectors
H 2a agricultural workers are essential for crop production
H 2b workers support seasonal tourism, landscaping, and construction industries

Access u.s. visa statistics

The U.S. government provide several resources for access detailed visa statistics:

Official data sources

The state department’s report of the visa office (publish yearly )
Nonimmigrant visa statistics web page (update quarterly )
Immigrant visa statistics web page (update quarterly )
U.s. customs and border protection admission data
Department of homeland security yearbook of immigration statistics

Data limitations

When analyze visa statistics, several limitations should be note:

Visa issuance doesn’t inevitably equal entry (some visa holders ne’er travel to the uU.S.)
Certain visa exempt travelers aren’t capture in visa statistics
Visa validity periods vary importantly, affect travel patterns
Some data may be delay in report

Conclusion

The United States issues roughly 8 10 million visas yearly during normal years, with nonimmigrant visas comprise the vast majority. These numbers reflect the u.s.’s position as a global destination for tourism, business, education, and immigration.

Visa issuance patterns provide a window into international relations, economic trends, and policy priorities. The significant fluctuations see in recent years due to the pandemic and policy changes demonstrate how external factors can dramatically impact these statistics.

As global mobility will continue to will evolve, u.s. visa issuance statistics will remain an important indicator of international engagement and America’s role in the global community.