Visa Status · unofficial · data from the U.S. Department of State
· printed
· printed
Visa type
R1
Religious worker · For ministers and other religious workers coming to work for a religious organization.
R1 visas issued worldwide · February 2026
297
That is 79 fewer than in January 2026 (376) — -21.0%.
Quick view · February 2026
-21.0% vs January 2026 (376)-33.6% vs February 2025 (447)
All published months together: 29,882
Compare months or years
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All countries together · Visa class R1 · One total per month
- Dec 2025323
- Jan 2026376
- Feb 2026297
Dec 2025
32332% of selected
Jan 2026
37638% of selected
Feb 2026
29730% of selected
- Jan 2026 is 53 (16.4%) higher than Dec 2025.
- Feb 2026 is 26 (8.0%) lower than Dec 2025.
View as table
| Dec 2025 | Jan 2026 | Feb 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total issued | 323 | 376 | 297 |
| Total | 323 | 376 | 297 |
Total visas issued
455
Latest 12 months · R1 · August
By month · latest 12 months
Choose a month to filterMar'25Apr'25May'25Jun'25Jul'25Aug'25Sep'25Oct'25Nov'25Dec'25Jan'26Feb'26
Top countries
Select one for details
Which countries changed? February 2026 compared with January 2026
Tap a country to see R1 for that country.
| Country | February 2026 | January 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 52 | 81 | -35.8%−29 |
| Philippines | 17 | 13 | +30.8%+4 |
| Mexico | 16 | 42 | -61.9%−26 |
| Nigeria | 11 | 24 | -54.2%−13 |
| Japan | 11 | 1 | +1000.0%+10 |
| Vietnam | 10 | 13 | -23.1%−3 |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 10 | 10 | +0.0%+0 |
| Australia | 9 | 5 | +80.0%+4 |
| Korea, South | 8 | 21 | -61.9%−13 |
| Brazil | 8 | 18 | -55.6%−10 |
| Colombia | 8 | 10 | -20.0%−2 |
| Israel | 8 | 4 | +100.0%+4 |
| Thailand | 8 | 4 | +100.0%+4 |
| Sri Lanka | 6 | 6 | +0.0%+0 |
| France | 6 | 5 | +20.0%+1 |
| Switzerland | 6 | 0 | new+6 |
| Dominican Republic | 5 | 4 | +25.0%+1 |
| Argentina | 5 | 3 | +66.7%+2 |
| Taiwan | 5 | 2 | +150.0%+3 |
| Indonesia | 4 | 7 | -42.9%−3 |
| South Africa | 4 | 4 | +0.0%+0 |
| Ghana | 4 | 3 | +33.3%+1 |
| Hungary | 4 | 3 | +33.3%+1 |
| New Zealand | 4 | 3 | +33.3%+1 |
| Honduras | 4 | 0 | new+4 |
| Russia | 4 | 0 | new+4 |
| Italy | 3 | 9 | -66.7%−6 |
| Germany | 3 | 7 | -57.1%−4 |
| Guatemala | 3 | 4 | -25.0%−1 |
| Tanzania | 3 | 2 | +50.0%+1 |
| Poland | 2 | 5 | -60.0%−3 |
| Peru | 2 | 4 | -50.0%−2 |
| Ukraine | 2 | 4 | -50.0%−2 |
| Greece | 2 | 1 | +100.0%+1 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 1 | +100.0%+1 |
| Romania | 2 | 1 | +100.0%+1 |
| Malaysia | 2 | 0 | new+2 |
| Kenya | 1 | 10 | -90.0%−9 |
| Canada | 1 | 3 | -66.7%−2 |
| El Salvador | 1 | 3 | -66.7%−2 |
| Spain | 1 | 3 | -66.7%−2 |
| Cameroon | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| China - mainland | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | new+1 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 0 | new+1 |
| Uganda | 1 | 0 | new+1 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 3 | -100.0%−3 |
| Chile | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Ecuador | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Bolivia | 0 | 1 | -100.0%−1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 24 | 53 | -54.7%−29 |
| Manila | 17 | 13 | +30.8%+4 |
| New Delhi | 14 | 8 | +75.0%+6 |
| London | 12 | 10 | +20.0%+2 |
| Tokyo | 10 | 1 | +900.0%+9 |
| Hyderabad | 9 | 10 | -10.0%−1 |
| Tel Aviv | 9 | 3 | +200.0%+6 |
| Seoul | 8 | 21 | -61.9%−13 |
| Bogota | 8 | 10 | -20.0%−2 |
| Lagos | 8 | 5 | +60.0%+3 |
| Bangkok | 8 | 4 | +100.0%+4 |
| Mumbai | 7 | 8 | -12.5%−1 |
| Paris | 6 | 7 | -14.3%−1 |
| Colombo | 6 | 6 | +0.0%+0 |
| Buenos Aires | 6 | 3 | +100.0%+3 |
| Mexico City | 5 | 29 | -82.8%−24 |
| Guadalajara | 5 | 11 | -54.5%−6 |
| Hanoi | 5 | 4 | +25.0%+1 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 4 | 8 | -50.0%−4 |
| AIT Taipei | 4 | 4 | +0.0%+0 |
| Accra | 4 | 3 | +33.3%+1 |
| Auckland | 4 | 2 | +100.0%+2 |
| Jakarta | 4 | 2 | +100.0%+2 |
| Melbourne | 4 | 1 | +300.0%+3 |
| Tegucigalpa | 4 | 0 | new+4 |
| Sao Paulo | 3 | 11 | -72.7%−8 |
| Santo Domingo | 3 | 5 | -40.0%−2 |
| Guatemala City | 3 | 4 | -25.0%−1 |
| Sydney | 3 | 3 | +0.0%+0 |
| Monterrey | 3 | 2 | +50.0%+1 |
| Athens | 3 | 1 | +200.0%+2 |
| Dar es Salaam | 3 | 1 | +200.0%+2 |
| Abuja | 2 | 18 | -88.9%−16 |
| Nairobi | 2 | 8 | -75.0%−6 |
| Warsaw | 2 | 5 | -60.0%−3 |
| Lima | 2 | 3 | -33.3%−1 |
| Madrid | 2 | 3 | -33.3%−1 |
| Tijuana | 2 | 0 | new+2 |
| Rome | 1 | 7 | -85.7%−6 |
| Rio de Janeiro | 1 | 3 | -66.7%−2 |
| San Salvador | 1 | 3 | -66.7%−2 |
| Brasilia | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| Ciudad Juarez | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| Copenhagen | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| San Jose | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| Yaounde | 1 | 1 | +0.0%+0 |
| Kampala | 1 | 0 | new+1 |
| Kingston | 1 | 0 | new+1 |
| Osaka/Kobe | 1 | 0 | new+1 |
| Toronto | 0 | 5 | -100.0%−5 |
| Frankfurt | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Krakow | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Milan | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Quito | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Santiago | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Suva | 0 | 2 | -100.0%−2 |
| Johannesburg | 0 | 1 | -100.0%−1 |
| Kolkata | 0 | 1 | -100.0%−1 |
R1 worldwide: month by month, 2026 compared with 2025
compared with
- 20255,063
- 2026673
Month by month
| Month | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 584 | 376 | -35.6% |
| February | 447 | 297 | -33.6% |
| March | 473 | – | – |
| April | 376 | – | – |
| May | 444 | – | – |
| June | 422 | – | – |
| July | 464 | – | – |
| August | 455 | – | – |
| September | 366 | – | – |
| October | 385 | – | – |
| November | 324 | – | – |
| December | 323 | – | – |
When is it busy? R1 visas worldwide
Busiest month: January (12.2% of a typical year). Quietest: April (6.3%). 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.
R1 worldwide: all published months
“partial” means fewer than 12 months have been published for that period.
View as table
| Year | Issuances |
|---|---|
| 2018 partial | 1,002 |
| 2019 | 4,378 |
| 2020 | 1,174 |
| 2021 | 2,404 |
| 2022 | 4,455 |
| 2023 | 5,289 |
| 2024 | 5,444 |
| 2025 | 5,063 |
| 2026 partial | 673 |