U.S. visa statistics show two very different scales: foreign service posts issued 612,258 immigrant visas and 10,969,936 nonimmigrant visas in fiscal year (FY) 2024. Immigrant visas support permanent immigration, while nonimmigrant visas cover temporary travel, study, work, exchange, and other purposes. The figures below come from U.S. Department of State tables and identify the relevant fiscal year or measurement period.
Contents
- U.S. visa totals and recent trends
- Family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visas
- Immigrant visas by region and country
- Diversity visas and ineligibility findings
- Nonimmigrant visa categories
- Workload and refusal-rate patterns
U.S. visa totals and recent trends
Foreign service posts issued 240,526 immigrant visas in FY2020, followed by 285,069 in FY2021, 493,448 in FY2022, 562,976 in FY2023, and 612,258 in FY2024. These are issuance counts at foreign service posts, not a count of every person who immigrated through every possible process.
The five-year series shows a substantial rise in immigrant visa issuance after FY2021. The annual counts were:
| Fiscal year | Immigrant visas issued at foreign service posts |
|---|---|
| FY2020 | 240,526 |
| FY2021 | 285,069 |
| FY2022 | 493,448 |
| FY2023 | 562,976 |
| FY2024 | 612,258 |
Source: Table I: Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas Issued at Foreign Service Posts, Fiscal Years 2020-2024.
The same FY2024 table recorded 10,969,936 nonimmigrant visa issuances. Within that total, B1/B2 visitor visas and border crossing cards together accounted for 1,911,752 issuances. Special immigrant issuances totaled 37,769. Because these are different categories and groupings, they should not be added together as though they represented separate people or mutually exclusive reporting systems.
Family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visas
The FY2024 immigrant-class figures separate immediate relatives, family-sponsored preference immigrants, employment-based preference immigrants, and other classes. Immediate relatives received 265,467 immigrant visas. Family-sponsored preference immigrants received another 205,762. Together, those two reported family groupings accounted for 471,229 visas in the table’s FY2024 classifications.
Among the listed immediate-relative relationships, spouses of U.S. citizens received 77,523 visas. Parents of U.S. citizens aged at least 21 received 116,348. The brothers-or-sisters category for U.S. citizens, including spouses and children, received 63,865 visas. These relationship categories describe the classifications reported by the State Department and should not be treated as a complete description of every family immigration pathway.
Employment-based preference immigrants received 49,766 visas in FY2024. The reported employment categories included:
- Employment-based first-preference priority workers and their spouses and children: 5,225 visas.
- Employment-based second-preference professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability: 10,255 visas.
- Employment-based third-preference skilled workers and professionals: 16,205 visas.
- Employment-based third-preference other workers and their spouses and children: 6,044 visas.
- Employment-creation investor visas in targeted areas: 11,406 visas.
The special immigrant employee category for U.S. government employees abroad and eligible family members issued 2,838 visas. The category totals above are reported classifications, so they are most useful for understanding the distribution of FY2024 issuances rather than predicting an individual applicant’s outcome.
Source: Table II: Classes of Immigrants Issued Visas at Foreign Service Posts, Fiscal Years 2020-2024.
Immigrant visas by region and country
The FY2024 geographic distribution of immigrant visas was led by Asia and North America. Asia accounted for 249,803 visas, while North America accounted for 201,587. Africa accounted for 78,412; Europe, 42,494; South America, 37,825; and Oceania, 2,137.
| Region | FY2024 immigrant visas |
|---|---|
| Asia | 249,803 |
| North America | 201,587 |
| Africa | 78,412 |
| Europe | 42,494 |
| South America | 37,825 |
| Oceania | 2,137 |
These regional counts use the State Department’s reporting categories and FY2024 measurement period. The geography is based on foreign state of chargeability or place of birth as identified in the source table, not necessarily current residence.
Selected country totals further illustrate the distribution. Mexico had 72,057 immigrant visa issuances in FY2024, and the Dominican Republic had 53,362. India had 26,903, the Philippines had 34,099, and Cuba had 25,014. Afghanistan had 37,511 immigrant visa issuances, including 33,123 special immigrants.
The Afghanistan figure is therefore a mixed total that includes a large special-immigrant component. It should not be compared with an ordinary family or employment category without keeping that distinction in view.
Diversity visas and ineligibility findings
Diversity immigrant visa issuances changed considerably across the FY2020-FY2024 series. The State Department reported 18,288 in FY2020, 17,344 in FY2021, 54,334 in FY2022, 55,076 in FY2023, and 53,339 in FY2024.
| Fiscal year | Diversity immigrant visas issued |
|---|---|
| FY2020 | 18,288 |
| FY2021 | 17,344 |
| FY2022 | 54,334 |
| FY2023 | 55,076 |
| FY2024 | 53,339 |
For FY2024, selected country totals included 1,017 diversity immigrant visas for Afghanistan, 3,036 for Nepal, and 2,822 for Uzbekistan. These are issuance counts for the diversity immigrant category, not general immigrant-visa totals for those countries.
The FY2024 ineligibility table separately recorded findings involving Diversity Visa requirements. There were 1,842 findings citing failure to meet the education or work-experience requirement, and 52 of those findings were overcome. Another 1,379 findings cited failure to comply with Diversity Visa requirements or regulations, and 45 were overcome. A finding and an issuance are different measurements: the figures do not establish a general refusal rate for all diversity applicants.
Sources: Table VII: Immigrant Number Use for Visa Issuances and Adjustments of Status in the Diversity Immigrant Category, Fiscal Years 2015-2024 and Table XIX: Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Ineligibilities by Grounds for Refusal Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Fiscal Year 2024.
Nonimmigrant visa categories
Nonimmigrant issuance totals cover temporary travel and many other purposes. In FY2024, B1/B2 temporary visitor visas for business and pleasure totaled 6,498,006 issuances. A separate grouping of B1/B2 visas combined with border crossing cards totaled 1,911,752. These two figures use different reporting groupings and should not be combined.
Other FY2024 nonimmigrant categories included 818,396 temporary worker and trainee visas, 424,792 student visas, and 355,332 exchange visitor visas. Intracompany transferee visas totaled 145,116, while treaty trader or investor visas totaled 71,598. Foreign government official visas totaled 107,046.
The State Department also reported 54,888 fiancé(e) visas, 31,544 temporary visitor-for-business B-1 visas, and 324,098 combination transit/crew-member C-1/D visas. Category labels matter here: a category total is not necessarily interchangeable with a broader family of related visa classifications.
Source: Table XV(A): Classes of Nonimmigrants Issued Visas, Fiscal Years 2020-2024.
Workload and refusal-rate patterns
The worldwide FY2024 nonimmigrant workload report lists issuances, refusals, and total applications by visa category. For B1/B2, the workload included 6,498,006 issuances, 2,497,104 refusals, and 8,995,108 total applications. F1 student visas included 400,737 issuances, 278,553 refusals, and 679,290 applications.
| Category | Issuances | Refusals | Total applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | 6,498,006 | 2,497,104 | 8,995,108 |
| F1 | 400,737 | 278,553 | 679,290 |
| H1B | 219,659 | 6,298 | 225,957 |
| H2A | 315,328 | 12,800 | 328,128 |
| J1 | 322,820 | 39,747 | 362,567 |
| K1 | 47,579 | 6,130 | 53,709 |
| L1 | 71,799 | 2,914 | 74,713 |
The same report recorded 219,659 H1B issuances, 6,298 refusals, and 225,957 applications. H2A included 315,328 issuances, 12,800 refusals, and 328,128 applications. J1 included 322,820 issuances, 39,747 refusals, and 362,567 applications. K1 included 47,579 issuances, 6,130 refusals, and 53,709 applications. L1 included 71,799 issuances, 2,914 refusals, and 74,713 applications.
Refusal-rate data is reported separately by nationality for B visas. The FY2024 adjusted B-visa refusal rate was 16.32% for India, 13.87% for Mexico, and 45.65% for Pakistan. These are adjusted refusal rates for B visas only, not approval rates for all U.S. visas, all immigration categories, or all nationalities.
Sources: Worldwide NIV Workload by Visa Category, FY 2024 and Adjusted Refusal Rate - B-Visas Only by Nationality, Fiscal Year 2024.