The United States issued **322,820 J-1 visas in Fiscal Year 2024**, the latest fiscal year covered by a finalized annual Report of the Visa Office available when this report was prepared.
That was an increase of **6,127 visas, or approximately 1.9%, from FY2023**, when 316,693 J-1 visas were issued.
The longer-term picture is more nuanced. Despite a major recovery from the pandemic-era decline, FY2024 J-1 issuance remained **30,459 visas, or 8.6%, below FY2019**.
These figures measure **visas issued**. They do not represent the number of applications, BridgeUSA participants, DS-2019 forms issued, or a J-1 approval rate.
## What do J-1 statistics actually measure?
Several different metrics appear in U.S. exchange-visitor data.
**J-1 Visas Issued** J-1 visas issued by U.S. embassies and consulates during the relevant period.
**Visa Applications** Applications submitted or processed. This is not the same as issuances.
**Refusals** Visa refusals recorded under the Department of State's reporting methodology.
**Exchange Visitors / Participants** People participating in the Exchange Visitor Program. This is a program dataset rather than a consular-issuance dataset.
**DS-2019 Forms** Program eligibility forms issued by Designated Sponsors. A DS-2019 does not necessarily result in a visa issuance.
These measures should not be substituted for one another.
## J-1 visas issued in recent fiscal years
The Report of the Visa Office reports data by **U.S. Fiscal Year**, running from October 1 through September 30.
| Fiscal Year | J-1 visas issued | Year-over-year change | | ----------- | ---------------: | --------------------: | | FY2019 | 353,279 | — | | FY2020 | 108,510 | -69.3% | | FY2021 | 129,662 | +19.5% | | FY2022 | 284,486 | +119.4% | | FY2023 | 316,693 | +11.3% | | FY2024 | 322,820 | +1.9% |
The Department of State classifies J-1 in this table as:
**Exchange Visitor**
J-2 dependent visas are reported separately.
## How was the annual change calculated?
Kaya Visa used:
**Annual change = (Current-year issuances - Previous-year issuances) ÷ Previous-year issuances × 100**
For FY2024:
322,820 - 316,693 = **6,127**
6,127 ÷ 316,693 × 100 = approximately **1.9%**
This is an **issuance growth rate**.
It is not an approval or refusal rate.
## Are J-1 issuances rising or falling?
The data show three distinct phases.
### Exceptional decline in FY2020
J-1 issuance fell from 353,279 in FY2019 to 108,510 in FY2020.
That was a decline of approximately:
**69.3%**
The Department of State specifically notes in its annual tables that routine visa services were suspended in late March 2020 because of COVID-19 and that posts resumed limited services gradually as local conditions permitted.
FY2020 should therefore not be treated as a normal baseline for J-1 demand or adjudication.
### Strong recovery from 2021 through 2023
Issuance increased to:
- 129,662 in FY2021.
- 284,486 in FY2022.
- 316,693 in FY2023.
The largest annual increase occurred between FY2021 and FY2022:
**+119.4%**
That describes a major recovery in issuance volume from an unusually low base.
It does not establish that J-1 eligibility standards became 119% easier or that applicants had a corresponding increase in approval probability.
### Slower growth in FY2024
FY2024 reached 322,820 issuances, only:
**1.9% above FY2023.**
Issuance therefore continued growing, but at a much slower pace than during the earlier recovery.
Issuance figures alone do not establish why growth slowed.
## How does FY2024 compare with pre-pandemic FY2019?
J-1 issuance was:
**353,279 in FY2019**
versus:
**322,820 in FY2024**
The numerical difference was:
**-30,459 visas**
or:
**-8.6%**
FY2024 therefore had not fully returned to the FY2019 issuance level.
However, the gap was dramatically smaller than during FY2020 and FY2021.
FY2019 is also a useful methodological starting point because the Visa Office changed aspects of its visa-data reporting methodology beginning with the FY2019 annual report.
## Why isn't FY2025 used as the latest finalized annual figure?
At the time of this report, the Department of State's Annual Reports page lists **Report of the Visa Office 2024** as its latest annual report.
Monthly issuance files are available for FY2025, but the Department describes monthly visa issuance data as:
**Preliminary data subject to change.**
This report therefore does not treat a derived sum of monthly FY2025 files as equivalent to a finalized annual Report of the Visa Office figure.
The article should be updated when the next annual report is officially published.
## How should the pandemic years be interpreted?
FY2020 and FY2021 were exceptional.
The Department of State notes that visa posts suspended routine services in March 2020 and resumed limited operations on a post-by-post basis as conditions allowed.
This matters when interpreting later percentage changes.
For example, the 119.4% increase in FY2022 looks enormous partly because FY2021 remained far below normal historical issuance volumes.
It is therefore evidence of a recovery in issuance volume, not by itself evidence of easier adjudication standards.
## Can these figures be used to calculate a J-1 approval rate?
**No.**
The 322,820 visas issued in FY2024 are not enough to calculate a valid approval percentage.
A defensible approval or refusal rate requires compatible official data with the same:
- Visa classification.
- Time period.
- Application or decision definition.
- Treatment of refusals later overcome or reconsidered.
- Reporting methodology.
It would be methodologically invalid to calculate:
**J-1 issuances ÷ all nonimmigrant applications**
or:
**J-1 issuances ÷ BridgeUSA participants**
and call the result an approval rate.
The denominators describe different populations.
## Are J-1 refusal statistics available?
The Department of State publishes several datasets concerning visa workload, refusals, and ineligibilities.
However, each table has its own definitions and must be evaluated before calculating a rate.
The Department's **B Visa Adjusted Refusal Rates by Nationality** should not be applied to J-1.
This report does not calculate a J-1 refusal rate because the annual issuance series used here does not, by itself, provide the compatible denominator required for a valid rate.
## J-1 vs. J-2
The Department of State reports J-1 and J-2 separately.
In FY2024 it issued:
- **322,820 J-1 visas**
- **32,512 J-2 visas**
In FY2023:
- 316,693 J-1
- 32,028 J-2
J-2 issuance therefore increased by approximately **1.5%**.
These figures should not simply be combined and described as the number of J-1 exchange participants.
J-2 is the derivative visa classification for eligible spouses and children.
## Are BridgeUSA participant totals the same as visa issuances?
**No.**
BridgeUSA states that the Exchange Visitor Program provides opportunities for around **300,000 foreign visitors from approximately 200 countries and territories each year**.
That is program-participant information.
The Visa Office series measures visas issued by U.S. consular posts.
The two totals can differ because they represent different processes, populations, and timing.
For example:
- Visa issuance and program participation may occur in different reporting periods.
- Program records are not the same as new visa issuances.
- J-2 dependents are statistically separate from principal J-1 participants.
- DS-2019 issuance itself is not visa issuance.
The datasets should therefore be interpreted separately.
## Are statistics available by nationality?
Yes.
The Department of State publishes **Nonimmigrant Visas Issued by Classification and Nationality**.
That allows analysis of questions such as:
- J-1 visas issued to Jordanian nationals.
- J-1 issuance for Saudi nationals.
- Egyptian J-1 issuance trends.
- Leading nationalities by J-1 issuance.
But a larger issuance count for one nationality does not mean that nationality has a higher approval probability.
That conclusion would require compatible application and decision data.
## Are statistics available by embassy or consulate?
Yes.
The Department also publishes issuance data by **Issuing Post**.
Those data answer:
**How many visas did this embassy or consulate issue?**
They do not automatically answer:
**Which embassy is easiest for a J-1 visa?**
Issuance volumes are affected by application volume, regional jurisdiction, applicant mix, exchange-program activity, and other factors.
Issuing Post must also not be confused with nationality.
A national of one country may obtain a visa at a post in another country.
## What do these numbers mean for an applicant?
The figures show that J-1 remains a large and widely used U.S. exchange-visitor visa classification.
Issuance recovered substantially following the pandemic-era disruption, reaching more than 322,000 principal J-1 visas in FY2024.
Historical statistics can help readers understand:
- Program scale.
- Issuance momentum.
- Exceptional periods.
- Long-term consular activity.
They cannot determine whether an individual applicant will receive a visa.
Individual adjudication still depends on matters including:
- J-1 category.
- Designated Sponsor.
- DS-2019.
- Applicant eligibility.
- Consular procedures.
- Applicable U.S. law.
## What don't J-1 issuance statistics tell us?
They do not automatically reveal:
- Your personal approval probability.
- Sponsor quality.
- The “easiest” embassy.
- The reason for each refusal.
- The quality of a particular exchange program.
- Future approval chances.
- Whether eligibility rules have become easier.
Higher issuance volume alone does not establish a change in adjudication standards.
## Common statistical mistakes
### Treating issuances as applications
They are different metrics.
### Calling issuances “approvals”
The official table reports visas issued.
### Creating an approval rate with an incompatible denominator
The numerator and denominator must measure compatible populations.
### Mixing J-1 and J-2
They are reported separately.
### Mixing participants and visa issuances
BridgeUSA and the Visa Office measure different things.
### Mixing fiscal and calendar years
FY2024 ran from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.
### Treating monthly preliminary files as finalized annual data
The Department explicitly labels monthly issuance data preliminary.
### Assuming rising issuance means easier visa rules
The data alone do not support that conclusion.
## Kaya Visa data methodology
**Primary source:** U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs – Report of the Visa Office.
**Primary table:** Table XV(B) – Nonimmigrant Visas Issued by Classification.
**Unit:** Worldwide J-1 visas issued.
**Primary period:** Fiscal Years 2019–2024.
**Fiscal-year definition:** October 1 through September 30.
**Growth calculation:** (Current year - Previous year) ÷ Previous year × 100.
**Rounding:** One decimal place.
**Limitations:** Issuance totals do not represent applications or participants and cannot alone produce a valid approval or refusal rate.
The Visa Office also changed aspects of its statistical methodology beginning with FY2019 because of improved access to application-level data. The historical comparison in this report therefore begins at FY2019.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### How many J-1 visas does the United States issue annually?
The latest finalized annual Report of the Visa Office available for this analysis shows **322,820 J-1 visas issued in FY2024**.
### Did J-1 issuance rise in FY2024?
Yes. It increased from 316,693 in FY2023 to 322,820 in FY2024, an increase of approximately **1.9%**.
### Has J-1 issuance returned to its pre-pandemic level?
Not fully. FY2024 remained approximately **8.6% below FY2019**.
### What is the J-1 approval rate?
An accurate approval rate cannot be calculated from issuance totals alone. Compatible application or decision data for the same visa class and period are required.
### Is there an official J-1 refusal rate?
The Department publishes refusal-related datasets, but the B visa adjusted refusal rate cannot be applied to J-1, and the issuance table alone is insufficient to calculate a valid J-1 refusal rate.
### Are exchange participants the same as J-1 visas issued?
No. BridgeUSA participant statistics and Visa Office issuance statistics measure different populations and processes.
### Does higher issuance mean J-1 visas are becoming easier to obtain?
No. Increased issuance volume does not, by itself, demonstrate easier eligibility requirements or adjudication.
## Conclusion
The United States issued **322,820 J-1 visas in FY2024**, up **1.9% from FY2023**.
The series shows a substantial recovery from the pandemic disruption, rising from just 108,510 issuances in FY2020 to more than 322,000 in FY2024.
Even so, FY2024 remained **30,459 visas, or 8.6%, below FY2019**.
The essential methodological point is that these statistics measure **visa issuance volume**. They do not equal applications, BridgeUSA participants, or an individual applicant's probability of approval.
## Official Sources Used for This Article
**U.S. Department of State – Report of the Visa Office 2024 – Table XV(B), Nonimmigrant Visas Issued by Classification** Period: Fiscal Years 2020–2024. Used for annual J-1 and J-2 issuance totals, year-over-year trends, and the Department's COVID-19 methodological note.
**U.S. Department of State – Report of the Visa Office 2023 – Table XV(B)** Period: Fiscal Years 2019–2023. Used to verify the FY2019 baseline and reconcile the historical series.
**U.S. Department of State – Visa Statistics / Annual Reports** Used to verify the latest listed annual Report of the Visa Office and the statistical methodology change beginning in FY2019.
**U.S. Department of State – Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance Statistics** Used to verify that newer monthly issuance files are classified as preliminary data subject to change.
**U.S. Department of State – Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics** Used to verify available visa-class and nationality datasets and the distinction between general issuance data and B-specific adjusted refusal rates.
**U.S. Department of State – BridgeUSA – Facts and Figures 2015–2025** Used to distinguish Exchange Visitor participant statistics from consular J-1 visa issuance statistics.
