The United States broke records in issuing and applying visas

Nearly 5.2 million nonimmigrant visas issued in the first half of FY 2024 — Nearly 5.2 million nonimmigrant visas issued in the first half of FY24

Never in history have so many people traveled to the United States. In other words, there are never as many valid visas as there are today. And demand remains high at the 230 U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, which are breaking records for issuing nonimmigrant visas.

For example, in the first half of fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024), the US issued about 5.2 million nonimmigrant visas, Breaking historical record of half-yearly emissions,

To give you an idea, according to data from the US State Department’s Visa Service, Some tourist markets are now issuing higher numbers of visas than before the pandemic,

Volume of visas issued in the first half of fiscal years 2019, 2023, and 2024

Overall, 20 countries represented 85% of all international tourists visiting the country in 2023, with only eight countries requiring a B1/B2 visa for tourist travel: Mexico, India, Brazil, China, Colombia, Argentina, Dominican Republic and Ecuador,

In the first six months of the financial year 2024, US consulates and embassies in these eight countries together issued 15% more visas Compared to the same period last year.

They Eight countries accounted for nearly 65% of total visa issuance Number of visitors worldwide in the first half of fiscal year 2024 Mexico, India, Brazil and Colombia highlighted,

“We have made good progress in reducing wait times for appointments at some of our most popular embassies and consulates. For example, Interview wait times for B1/B2 visa applicants in Brazil have improved significantly compared to last year, decreasing by around 85% on average.. and the global average wait time continues to trend downward”

Julie Stufft, Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, US Department of State

Key Figures on US Visa

Record number of people able to travel to the United States with valid visas
Record number of visas issued at 230 consulates and embassies worldwide
Nearly 5.2 million nonimmigrant visas issued in the first half of FY 2024
Some issuance markets have already surpassed pre-pandemic levels of visas issued
The volume of visas issued in the eight main issuing countries increased by 15%
The average waiting time for issuing a first visa in Brazil fell by 85%