What is a visa ?

Updated Mar. 24, 2026Refreshed annually
The I visa is a nonimmigrant visa issued for work. Nonimmigrant visas are admitted for people who intend to stay in the US temporarily. I visas accounted for 0.12% of all issued visas in FY 2024.
In FY 2024,

12.9K

visas issued by the US were I visas
In FY 2024,

0.12%

of visas issued were I 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 I visa allows representatives of foreign media outlets to travel to the United States for the purpose of covering news events or conducting informational and educational activities. Any spouse and children under age 21 are eligible to join the visa holder.

The length of stay for an I visa is tied to the duration of the visa holder's work assignment.

What type of visa is a I visa?

Visas are issued for one of five reasons: work, tourism/business, education, family, and safety. The I visa is a work visa, which allows a foreign national to enter the US for work in a specific job or occupation.
Work visas make up 9.9% of all visas.

In 2024, 9.9% of all visas issued were for work.

Visas issued by type, 2024

How many I visas are issued?

The State Department issued 12,924 I visas in 2024. That was down 9.6% from the 14,298 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 I visas.

The US issued 12,900 I visas in 2024, down 9.6% from 2013.

Total I visas issued, 2013–2024

Of all applications processed for I visas in 2024, 88.7% were accepted. That acceptance rate was down from a peak of 93% 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

I visa applications were more likely to be accepted compared to all visas in 2024.

Visa acceptance rate, I visas and all visas, 2013–2024

Who comes to the US on a I visa?

For the 3rd straight year, more I visa recipients came from the United Kingdom than any other country in 2024 — the country’s 1,900 recipients made up 14.5% of total visas issued. The next-highest populations came from Japan (1,139 or 8.8%) and Mexico (855 or 6.6%).

The countries with the most I visa recipients overall were:

  1. United Kingdom (1,879)
  2. Japan (1,139)
  3. Mexico (855)
  4. Germany (848)
  5. France (690)

In 2024, the most I visa recipients were from United Kingdom.

I visas issued by recipient’s home country, 2024

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

  1. Ireland (0.03 per 1,000 people)
  2. United Kingdom (0.03)
  3. Dominican Republic (0.02)
  4. Malta (0.02)
  5. Fiji (0.02)
Overall, people from 150 different countries and territories received I 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.