Visa Status
Visa Status · unofficial · data from the U.S. Department of State
· printed

Visa type

O1

Extraordinary ability · For people with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, athletics or film and television.

Compare visa types →Compare months or years →Appointment wait by embassy →Group: Temporary workers →
O1 visas issued worldwide · February 2026
1,455

That is 341 fewer than in January 2026 (1,796) — -19.0%.

Quick view · February 2026
-19.0% vs January 2026 (1,796)-4.3% vs February 2025 (1,521)

All published months together: 119,348

Compare months or years

Compare by
Quick pick
Chart
All countries together · Visa class O1 · One total per month
  • Dec 20251,948
  • Jan 20261,796
  • Feb 20261,455
Download CSV
  • Jan 2026 is 152 (7.8%) lower than Dec 2025.
  • Feb 2026 is 493 (25.3%) lower than Dec 2025.
View as table
Dec 2025Jan 2026Feb 2026
Total issued 1,9481,7961,455
Total1,9481,7961,455
Total visas issued
19,075
Latest 12 months · O1

By month · latest 12 months

Choose a month to filter
1.6K1.5K1.4K1.5K1.8K1.8K1.5K1.5K1.3K1.9K1.8K1.5K
Mar'25Apr'25May'25Jun'25Jul'25Aug'25Sep'25Oct'25Nov'25Dec'25Jan'26Feb'26

Top countries

Select one for details

  1. Great Britain and Northern Ireland2,965
  2. China - mainland1,687
  3. India1,541
  4. Brazil978
  5. France897
  6. Mexico806

Which countries changed? February 2026 compared with January 2026

Tap a country to see O1 for that country.

Most visasBiggest change
CountryFebruary 2026January 2026Change
Great Britain and Northern Ireland223215 +3.7%+8
China - mainland141176 -19.9%−35
India125139 -10.1%−14
Australia8172 +12.5%+9
Brazil77131 -41.2%−54
Germany7566 +13.6%+9
France55113 -51.3%−58
Mexico4889 -46.1%−41
Argentina3426 +30.8%+8
Spain3340 -17.5%−7
Netherlands3239 -17.9%−7
Italy3087 -65.5%−57
Korea, South3056 -46.4%−26
Japan2841 -31.7%−13
Israel2834 -17.6%−6
Colombia2827 +3.7%+1
New Zealand2119 +10.5%+2
Sweden1822 -18.2%−4
Russia1729 -41.4%−12
Nigeria1716 +6.3%+1
Belgium1515 +0.0%+0
Switzerland158 +87.5%+7
Turkey1412 +16.7%+2
Philippines1211 +9.1%+1
Ireland1114 -21.4%−3
Poland1016 -37.5%−6
South Africa1013 -23.1%−3
Venezuela108 +25.0%+2
Norway105 +100.0%+5
Portugal912 -25.0%−3
Chile98 +12.5%+1
Taiwan815 -46.7%−7
Vietnam89 -11.1%−1
Denmark88 +0.0%+0
Malaysia86 +33.3%+2
Indonesia714 -50.0%−7
Hong Kong S.A.R.710 -30.0%−3
Singapore74 +75.0%+3
Ukraine613 -53.8%−7
Greece610 -40.0%−4
Canada61 +500.0%+5
Austria58 -37.5%−3
Pakistan56 -16.7%−1
Dominican Republic53 +66.7%+2
Hungary53 +66.7%+2
Serbia36 -50.0%−3
Egypt35 -40.0%−2
Lebanon35 -40.0%−2
Belarus34 -25.0%−1
Thailand34 -25.0%−1
Czech Republic33 +0.0%+0
Peru33 +0.0%+0
Croatia25 -60.0%−3
Romania25 -60.0%−3
Ecuador24 -50.0%−2
Finland04 -100.0%−4
Jamaica03 -100.0%−3

Which embassies and posts changed? February 2026 compared with January 2026

Same comparison, by the embassy or post that issued the visa.

Most visasBiggest change
Embassy / postFebruary 2026January 2026Change
London235240 -2.1%−5
Paris59117 -49.6%−58
Beijing5567 -17.9%−12
Sao Paulo4670 -34.3%−24
Chennai4541 +9.8%+4
Sydney4136 +13.9%+5
Madrid4040 +0.0%+0
Berlin3830 +26.7%+8
Bogota3828 +35.7%+10
Melbourne3621 +71.4%+15
Shanghai3247 -31.9%−15
Buenos Aires3226 +23.1%+6
Guangzhou2941 -29.3%−12
New Delhi2818 +55.6%+10
Amsterdam2736 -25.0%−9
Mexico City2659 -55.9%−33
Seoul2654 -51.9%−28
Mumbai2542 -40.5%−17
Tokyo2536 -30.6%−11
Tel Aviv2533 -24.2%−8
Frankfurt2321 +9.5%+2
Auckland1815 +20.0%+3
Brasilia1720 -15.0%−3
Brussels1714 +21.4%+3
Bern1711 +54.5%+6
Munich1615 +6.7%+1
Lisbon1613 +23.1%+3
Hyderabad1513 +15.4%+2
Stockholm1420 -30.0%−6
Hong Kong1417 -17.6%−3
Warsaw1417 -17.6%−3
Rome1241 -70.7%−29
Istanbul1212 +0.0%+0
Rio de Janeiro1124 -54.2%−13
Toronto1115 -26.7%−4
Oslo115 +120.0%+6
Manila1010 +0.0%+0
Cape Town103 +233.3%+7
AIT Taipei920 -55.0%−11
Monterrey913 -30.8%−4
Dublin911 -18.2%−2
Singapore99 +0.0%+0
Copenhagen96 +50.0%+3
Santiago89 -11.1%−1
Jakarta717 -58.8%−10
Florence74 +75.0%+3
Vienna613 -53.8%−7
Belfast512 -58.3%−7
Athens58 -37.5%−3
Porto Alegre56 -16.7%−1
Santo Domingo55 +0.0%+0
Guadalajara415 -73.3%−11
Bangkok44 +0.0%+0
Belgrade38 -62.5%−5
Osaka/Kobe35 -40.0%−2
Vancouver30new+3
Lima24 -50.0%−2
Milan127 -96.3%−26
Helsinki14 -75.0%−3

O1 worldwide: month by month, 2026 compared with 2025

compared with
  • 202519,456
  • 20263,251
01K2K3K4KJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Download CSV
Month by month
Month20252026Change
January2,1111,796 -14.9%
February1,5211,455 -4.3%
March1,597––
April1,525––
May1,448––
June1,464––
July1,762––
August1,782––
September1,526––
October1,506––
November1,266––
December1,948––

When is it busy? O1 visas worldwide

Busiest month: January (12.1% of a typical year). Quietest: April (5.9%). An even year would be 8.3% a month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Average of 7 full years (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025). Each bar is that month's share of the year's total. Years with missing months are left out. It shows when visas are issued, not when people apply.

O1 worldwide: all published months

By monthBy yearBy fiscal year
010K20K30K40KFY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026partial

“partial” means fewer than 12 months have been published for that period.

Download CSV
View as table
Fiscal yearIssuances
FY2019 17,569
FY2020 8,845
FY2021 7,302
FY2022 19,125
FY2023 19,044
FY2024 19,479
FY2025 20,013
FY2026 partial7,971