Visa Status · unofficial · data from the U.S. Department of State
· printed
· printed
Visa type
O1
Extraordinary ability · For people with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, athletics or film and television.
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
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All countries together · Visa class O1 · One total per month
- Dec 20251,948
- Jan 20261,796
- Feb 20261,455
Dec 2025
1,94837% of selected
Jan 2026
1,79635% of selected
Feb 2026
1,45528% of selected
- Jan 2026 is 152 (7.8%) lower than Dec 2025.
- Feb 2026 is 493 (25.3%) lower than Dec 2025.
View as table
| Dec 2025 | Jan 2026 | Feb 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total issued | 1,948 | 1,796 | 1,455 |
| Total | 1,948 | 1,796 | 1,455 |
Total visas issued
1,506
Latest 12 months · O1 · October
By month · latest 12 months
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Top countries
Select one for details
Which countries changed? February 2026 compared with January 2026
Tap a country to see O1 for that country.
| Country | February 2026 | January 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 223 | 215 | +3.7%+8 |
| China - mainland | 141 | 176 | -19.9%−35 |
| India | 125 | 139 | -10.1%−14 |
| Australia | 81 | 72 | +12.5%+9 |
| Brazil | 77 | 131 | -41.2%−54 |
| Germany | 75 | 66 | +13.6%+9 |
| France | 55 | 113 | -51.3%−58 |
| Mexico | 48 | 89 | -46.1%−41 |
| Argentina | 34 | 26 | +30.8%+8 |
| Spain | 33 | 40 | -17.5%−7 |
| Netherlands | 32 | 39 | -17.9%−7 |
| Italy | 30 | 87 | -65.5%−57 |
| Korea, South | 30 | 56 | -46.4%−26 |
| Japan | 28 | 41 | -31.7%−13 |
| Israel | 28 | 34 | -17.6%−6 |
| Colombia | 28 | 27 | +3.7%+1 |
| New Zealand | 21 | 19 | +10.5%+2 |
| Sweden | 18 | 22 | -18.2%−4 |
| Russia | 17 | 29 | -41.4%−12 |
| Nigeria | 17 | 16 | +6.3%+1 |
| Belgium | 15 | 15 | +0.0%+0 |
| Switzerland | 15 | 8 | +87.5%+7 |
| Turkey | 14 | 12 | +16.7%+2 |
| Philippines | 12 | 11 | +9.1%+1 |
| Ireland | 11 | 14 | -21.4%−3 |
| Poland | 10 | 16 | -37.5%−6 |
| South Africa | 10 | 13 | -23.1%−3 |
| Venezuela | 10 | 8 | +25.0%+2 |
| Norway | 10 | 5 | +100.0%+5 |
| Portugal | 9 | 12 | -25.0%−3 |
| Chile | 9 | 8 | +12.5%+1 |
| Taiwan | 8 | 15 | -46.7%−7 |
| Vietnam | 8 | 9 | -11.1%−1 |
| Denmark | 8 | 8 | +0.0%+0 |
| Malaysia | 8 | 6 | +33.3%+2 |
| Indonesia | 7 | 14 | -50.0%−7 |
| Hong Kong S.A.R. | 7 | 10 | -30.0%−3 |
| Singapore | 7 | 4 | +75.0%+3 |
| Ukraine | 6 | 13 | -53.8%−7 |
| Greece | 6 | 10 | -40.0%−4 |
| Canada | 6 | 1 | +500.0%+5 |
| Austria | 5 | 8 | -37.5%−3 |
| Pakistan | 5 | 6 | -16.7%−1 |
| Dominican Republic | 5 | 3 | +66.7%+2 |
| Hungary | 5 | 3 | +66.7%+2 |
| Serbia | 3 | 6 | -50.0%−3 |
| Egypt | 3 | 5 | -40.0%−2 |
| Lebanon | 3 | 5 | -40.0%−2 |
| Belarus | 3 | 4 | -25.0%−1 |
| Thailand | 3 | 4 | -25.0%−1 |
| Czech Republic | 3 | 3 | +0.0%+0 |
| Peru | 3 | 3 | +0.0%+0 |
| Croatia | 2 | 5 | -60.0%−3 |
| Romania | 2 | 5 | -60.0%−3 |
| Ecuador | 2 | 4 | -50.0%−2 |
| Finland | 0 | 4 | -100.0%−4 |
| Jamaica | 0 | 3 | -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.
| Embassy / post | February 2026 | January 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 235 | 240 | -2.1%−5 |
| Paris | 59 | 117 | -49.6%−58 |
| Beijing | 55 | 67 | -17.9%−12 |
| Sao Paulo | 46 | 70 | -34.3%−24 |
| Chennai | 45 | 41 | +9.8%+4 |
| Sydney | 41 | 36 | +13.9%+5 |
| Madrid | 40 | 40 | +0.0%+0 |
| Berlin | 38 | 30 | +26.7%+8 |
| Bogota | 38 | 28 | +35.7%+10 |
| Melbourne | 36 | 21 | +71.4%+15 |
| Shanghai | 32 | 47 | -31.9%−15 |
| Buenos Aires | 32 | 26 | +23.1%+6 |
| Guangzhou | 29 | 41 | -29.3%−12 |
| New Delhi | 28 | 18 | +55.6%+10 |
| Amsterdam | 27 | 36 | -25.0%−9 |
| Mexico City | 26 | 59 | -55.9%−33 |
| Seoul | 26 | 54 | -51.9%−28 |
| Mumbai | 25 | 42 | -40.5%−17 |
| Tokyo | 25 | 36 | -30.6%−11 |
| Tel Aviv | 25 | 33 | -24.2%−8 |
| Frankfurt | 23 | 21 | +9.5%+2 |
| Auckland | 18 | 15 | +20.0%+3 |
| Brasilia | 17 | 20 | -15.0%−3 |
| Brussels | 17 | 14 | +21.4%+3 |
| Bern | 17 | 11 | +54.5%+6 |
| Munich | 16 | 15 | +6.7%+1 |
| Lisbon | 16 | 13 | +23.1%+3 |
| Hyderabad | 15 | 13 | +15.4%+2 |
| Stockholm | 14 | 20 | -30.0%−6 |
| Hong Kong | 14 | 17 | -17.6%−3 |
| Warsaw | 14 | 17 | -17.6%−3 |
| Rome | 12 | 41 | -70.7%−29 |
| Istanbul | 12 | 12 | +0.0%+0 |
| Rio de Janeiro | 11 | 24 | -54.2%−13 |
| Toronto | 11 | 15 | -26.7%−4 |
| Oslo | 11 | 5 | +120.0%+6 |
| Manila | 10 | 10 | +0.0%+0 |
| Cape Town | 10 | 3 | +233.3%+7 |
| AIT Taipei | 9 | 20 | -55.0%−11 |
| Monterrey | 9 | 13 | -30.8%−4 |
| Dublin | 9 | 11 | -18.2%−2 |
| Singapore | 9 | 9 | +0.0%+0 |
| Copenhagen | 9 | 6 | +50.0%+3 |
| Santiago | 8 | 9 | -11.1%−1 |
| Jakarta | 7 | 17 | -58.8%−10 |
| Florence | 7 | 4 | +75.0%+3 |
| Vienna | 6 | 13 | -53.8%−7 |
| Belfast | 5 | 12 | -58.3%−7 |
| Athens | 5 | 8 | -37.5%−3 |
| Porto Alegre | 5 | 6 | -16.7%−1 |
| Santo Domingo | 5 | 5 | +0.0%+0 |
| Guadalajara | 4 | 15 | -73.3%−11 |
| Bangkok | 4 | 4 | +0.0%+0 |
| Belgrade | 3 | 8 | -62.5%−5 |
| Osaka/Kobe | 3 | 5 | -40.0%−2 |
| Vancouver | 3 | 0 | new+3 |
| Lima | 2 | 4 | -50.0%−2 |
| Milan | 1 | 27 | -96.3%−26 |
| Helsinki | 1 | 4 | -75.0%−3 |
O1 worldwide: month by month, 2026 compared with 2025
compared with
- 202519,456
- 20263,251
Month by month
| Month | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2,111 | 1,796 | -14.9% |
| February | 1,521 | 1,455 | -4.3% |
| March | 1,597 | – | – |
| April | 1,525 | – | – |
| May | 1,448 | – | – |
| June | 1,464 | – | – |
| July | 1,762 | – | – |
| August | 1,782 | – | – |
| September | 1,526 | – | – |
| October | 1,506 | – | – |
| November | 1,266 | – | – |
| December | 1,948 | – | – |
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
“partial” means fewer than 12 months have been published for that period.
View as table
| Year | Issuances |
|---|---|
| 2018 partial | 4,209 |
| 2019 | 17,792 |
| 2020 | 5,599 |
| 2021 | 10,407 |
| 2022 | 19,669 |
| 2023 | 18,978 |
| 2024 | 19,987 |
| 2025 | 19,456 |
| 2026 partial | 3,251 |