The Department of State recently published data about the number of nonimmigrant visas issued from 2008 to 2012. The total number of nonimmigrant visas issued over the past five years has increased, from 6,603,076 in 2008, 5,804,182 in 2009, 6,422,751 in 2010, 7,507,939 in 2011, and 8,927,090 in 2012.

While the number of B-1 visas issued to visitors coming to the U.S. for business has steadily declined from 47,899 in 2008 to 35,241 in 2012, and the number of B-2 visas issued to temporary visitors for pleasure has also declined from 407,723 in 2008 to 84,713 in 2012, the B-1/B-2 category for temporary visitors for business and pleasure has increased over the past five years from 3,490,013 in 2008 to 5,342,439 in 2012. In addition, the combination of B1/B2 visas and border crossing cards has risen from 750,483 in 2008 to 1,493,267 in 2012.

F visas for students have also increased from 364,423 visas in 2008 to 515,253 visas in 2012. M visas for vocational students or students attending other non-academic institutions (other than a language training program) have remained fairly steady, increasing slightly to 10,855 in 2012 as compared to 10,754 in 2008.

H visas for temporary workers, including the H-1B “Person in a Specialty Occupation” category, have remained fairly steady, from 363,511 in 2008, 278,168 in 2009, 289,192 in 2010, 312,082 in 2011, and 334,290 in 2012. The L visa category for intracompany transferees has also seen a decrease from 155,761 in 2008 to 134,212 in 2012.

J visas for exchange visitors, such as au pairs, government visitors, physicians, and professors or research scholars, have seen a slight decrease from 392,089 in 2008 to 350,153 in 2012.
The number of O visas issued to people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics has increased from 16,710 in 2008 to 18,343 in 2012.

To see the full report, please click here.

Zhang & Associates, P.C. has successfully represented many F, M, H, L, J, O and B visa applications. If you are interested in filing a nonimmigrant visa application, please email us at info@hooyou.com.

---

Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of immigration cases.

At Zhang & Associates, P.C., our attorneys and supporting professionals are committed to providing high-quality immigration and non-immigration visa services. We specialize in NIW, EB-1, PERM, and I-485 cases. In the past seventeen years, we have successfully helped thousands of clients get green cards. If you plan to apply for a green card, please send your CV to Attorney Jerry Zhang (info@hooyou.com) for a free evaluation.

Zhang & Associates, P.C.

Silicon Valley • New York • Los Angeles • Chicago • Houston • Austin • Seattle

Tel:	1-800-230-7040, 713-771-8433
Email:	info@hooyou.com
website:	http://www.hooyou.com

 

(11/15/2013)