What is a visa ?

Updated Mar. 24, 2026Refreshed annually
The TD visa is a nonimmigrant visa issued for family purposes. Nonimmigrant visas are admitted for people who intend to stay in the US temporarily. TD visas accounted for 0.11% of all issued visas in FY 2024.
In FY 2024,

12.2K

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

0.11%

of visas issued were TD 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 TD visa is a nonimmigrant visa designated for the spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 of TN visa holders, who are professionals from Canada or Mexico working in the United States under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), formerly known as NAFTA. This visa allows family members to accompany the TN visa holder and reside in the US for the duration of the TN visa holder's employment. TD visa holders are permitted to study in the United States but are not authorized to work without obtaining separate work authorization.

The length of stay for a TD visa is directly tied to the TN visa holder's authorized stay, and extensions are possible as long as the TN visa holder maintains valid status and continues to qualify for extensions.

What type of visa is a TD visa?

Visas are issued for one of five reasons: work, tourism/business, education, family, and safety. The TD visa is a family visa, which gives eligible relatives of US citizens or lawful permanent residents the opportunity to join or stay with their family in the United States.
Family visas make up 3.2% of all visas.

In 2024, 3.2% of all visas issued were for family.

Visas issued by type, 2024

How many TD visas are issued?

The State Department issued 12,199 TD visas in 2024. That was up 84.6% from the 6,609 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 TD visas.

The US issued 12,200 TD visas in 2024, up 84.6% from 2013.

Total TD visas issued, 2013–2024

Of all applications processed for TD visas in 2024, 88.6% were accepted. That acceptance rate was down from a peak of 96.4% in 2022.

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

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

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

Who comes to the US on a TD visa?

For the 28th straight year, more TD visa recipients came from Mexico than any other country in 2024 — the country’s 11,500 recipients made up 94.1% of total visas issued. The next-highest populations came from China (95.0 or 0.78%) and India (92.0 or 0.75%).

The countries with the most TD visa recipients overall were:

  1. Mexico (11,483)
  2. China (95)
  3. India (92)
  4. Pakistan (59)
  5. Colombia (39)

In 2024, the most TD visa recipients were from Mexico.

TD visas issued by recipient’s home country, 2024

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

  1. Mexico (0.09 per 1,000 people)
  2. Dominica (0.01)
  3. Saint Lucia (0.006)
  4. Samoa (0.005)
  5. Belize (0.002)
Overall, people from 90 different countries and territories received TD 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.