What is a visa ?

Updated Mar. 24, 2026Refreshed annually
The B-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa issued for tourism and business. Nonimmigrant visas are admitted for people who intend to stay in the US temporarily. B-1 visas accounted for 0.29% of all issued visas in FY 2024.
In FY 2024,

31.5K

visas issued by the US were B-1 visas
In FY 2024,

0.29%

of visas issued were B-1 visas
A visa is an official document the federal government issues to allow a foreign national to travel to a port of entry and request permission to enter for a specific purpose. While a visa does not guarantee entry, it indicates that the person has met the requirements for the type of visit they are requesting.
Visas don’t include permanent residency cards or applications for asylee or refugee status.

The B-1 visa is intended for individuals traveling to the United States for business-related activities such as attending meetings or conferences. A B-1 visa holder is not eligible for employment in the US.

The length of stay for a B-1 visa is typically up to six months, as determined by Customs and Border Protection. Extensions to up to one year may be granted under certain circumstances, provided the visa holder complies with the visa conditions.

What type of visa is a B-1 visa?

Visas are issued for one of five reasons: work, tourism/business, education, family, and safety. The B-1 visa is a tourism/business visa, which are for short-term visits such as travel, medical care, or business meetings.
Tourism/business visas make up 80.2% of all visas.

In 2024, 80.2% of all visas issued were for tourism and business.

Visas issued by type, 2024

How many B-1 visas are issued?

The State Department issued 31,544 B-1 visas in 2024. That was down 24.8% from the 41,956 issued in 2013, the earliest year of available data.
Overall issued visas fell 68% during the pandemic, from 8.7 million in 2019 to 2.8 million in 2021. By 2023, totals had returned to above pre-pandemic levels.

The State Department does not maintain a cap on B-1 visas.

The US issued 31,500 B-1 visas in 2024, down 24.8% from 2013.

Total B-1 visas issued, 2013–2024

Of all applications processed for B-1 visas in 2024, 78.8% were accepted. That acceptance rate was down from a peak of 88.5% in 2021.

Across the whole State Department, visas are accepted at a rate of 77%. Visas might be denied for a variety of reasons, including if the applicant:

  • Is deemed ineligible for the category
  • Has a communicable disease or any illness that could pose a threat to safety
  • Has been convicted of certain crimes
  • Has been previously removed from the US
  • Is a practicing polygamist
  • Submitted an incomplete application

B-1 visa applications were more likely to be accepted compared to all visas in 2024.

Visa acceptance rate, B-1 visas and all visas, 2013–2024

Who comes to the US on a B-1 visa?

For the 14th straight year, more B-1 visa recipients came from the Philippines than any other country in 2024 — the country’s 5,000 recipients made up 15.8% of total visas issued. The next-highest populations came from Mexico (4,846 or 15.4%) and China (3,101 or 9.8%).

The countries with the most B-1 visa recipients overall were:

  1. Philippines (4,991)
  2. Mexico (4,846)
  3. China (3,101)
  4. Brazil (3,078)
  5. United Kingdom (1,552)

In 2024, the most B-1 visa recipients were from Philippines.

B-1 visas issued by recipient’s home country, 2024

The countries with the highest number of B-1 visa recipients compared to their overall population were:

  1. Nauru (6 per 1,000 people)
  2. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (0.9)
  3. Cuba (0.1)
  4. Jamaica (0.10)
  5. Nicaragua (0.09)
Overall, people from 172 different countries and territories received B-1 visas.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.