Beyond its role in family reunification, the K-1 visa program has broader implications for communities and the U.S. economy. International marriages contribute to population growth, labor force participation, consumer spending, and demand for housing, education, healthcare, and other local services as new families establish themselves across the country. At the same time, changes in petition processing, visa issuance, and government backlogs can shape when, or whether, couples are able to begin their lives together, creating ripple effects that extend well beyond the immigration system itself. Because the program involves multiple federal agencies and overseas consular operations, shifts in administrative capacity, policy implementation, or global events can influence processing outcomes and wait times.

In this analysis, researchers at Manifest Law, a modern immigration law firm specializing in immigration visas, examine the latest available data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify trends in fiancé visa petition approvals, processing times, visa issuances, countries of origin, and state-level destinations, providing a comprehensive look at how the K-1 visa program has evolved in recent years.

Here are the key takeaways from the analysis:

• The post-pandemic backlog reduction of fiancé visa petitions has slowed. After substantially increasing fiancé petition approvals (Form I-129F) throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024, USCIS approvals fell below new petition receipts beginning in late 2024, signaling a slowdown in backlog reduction efforts.
• Processing times are rising again after reaching a post-pandemic low. Median Form I-129F processing times fell to 5.6 months in late 2024 as pending caseloads declined, but both pending petitions and processing times have since increased.
• K-1 visa issuances reached their highest level in more than a decade. The U.S. Department of State issued 47,579 K-1 fiancé visas in 2024, surpassing the previous peak recorded in 2016 as overseas consular operations continued recovering from pandemic-related backlogs.
• The Philippines remains the dominant source of K-1 fiancé visas. More than 10,000 K-1 visas were issued to Filipino nationals in 2024—more than the next four leading countries combined—reflecting the country's longstanding immigration ties with the United States.
• California receives the most K-1 visa arrivals, while Hawaii leads on a per capita basis. California welcomed more K-1 visa holders than any other state in 2024, while Hawaii recorded the nation's highest rate of fiancé visa arrivals relative to its population.

K-1 Fiancé Visa Petition Approval and Processing Trends

Foreign fiancé petition approvals are well below peak 2024 levels

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data

After pandemic-era disruptions reduced adjudications and contributed to growing backlogs, USCIS substantially increased K-1 fiancé petition approvals throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024. During several quarters, the agency approved considerably more petitions than it received, indicating that it was working through previously accumulated pending cases rather than simply keeping pace with new demand. That effort culminated in 18,586 approvals in the second quarter of 2024, the highest quarterly total in USCIS's published I-129F data.

The pattern shifted sharply beginning in the fourth quarter of 2024. Quarterly approvals fell below new petition receipts and have generally remained there through early 2026. With receipts continuing at roughly 9,000 to 12,000 petitions per quarter while approvals remained substantially lower, USCIS is no longer reducing its backlog at the pace seen during 2023 and early 2024.

How Long Does It Take to Process a Fiancé Visa Petition?

After improving significantly in 2024, processing times and pending fiancé visa petitions are on the rise

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data

The slowdown in fiancé petition adjudications is beginning to affect the broader K-1 visa system. As USCIS approved more petitions than it received throughout much of 2023 and early 2024, the agency steadily reduced its pending caseload while processing times fell. Pending I-129F petitions declined from a peak of 58,479 in the first quarter of 2023 to just 22,328 by the third quarter of 2024, a reduction of more than 60%. Over the same period, median processing times fell from 14.5 months to 8.5 months before reaching a low of 5.6 months in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Those improvements, however, have begun to reverse. As petition approvals dropped below new filings beginning in late 2024, pending caseloads started climbing again, increasing from 22,328 petitions in the third quarter of 2024 to 36,875 by the first quarter of 2026. Processing times have also moved upward, rising from the 5.6-month low to 7.5 months over the same period. The relationship between these trends is consistent with how USCIS case backlogs typically develop: when the agency adjudicates fewer petitions than it receives, pending inventories grow, increasing the amount of work awaiting review and placing upward pressure on processing times.

How Many K-1 Fiancé Visas Are Issued Each Year?

Following years of increasing backlogs after COVID, fiancé visa issuances surged to a 12-year high in 2024

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Department of State data

Although USCIS petition approvals determine whether a couple may continue through the immigration process, a K-1 visa is not issued until the foreign fiancé completes consular processing with the U.S. Department of State. As a result, annual visa issuances often lag changes in petition adjudications and can reflect both current processing capacity and the resolution of cases that accumulated during previous years.

Annual K-1 visa issuances fell from 35,881 in FY2019 to just 16,849 in FY2020 as consular operations around the world were disrupted. Issuances recovered partially to 19,218 in FY2021 and 21,351 in FY2022, then slipped to 19,825 in FY2023, remaining well below pre-pandemic levels despite USCIS increasing petition approvals during that period. In FY2024, however, visa issuances surged to 47,579, the highest annual total in the Department of State's published series, which begins in 2013, and nearly 24% higher than the previous peak of 38,403 in FY2016.

The surge in visa issuances coincided with a broader State Department effort to reduce visa backlogs that accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout 2023 and 2024, the Department reported recovering visa processing capacity more quickly than anticipated by assigning additional consular officers overseas, introducing new technology to streamline adjudications, reducing administrative processing times, and implementing other operational efficiencies aimed at increasing visa throughput. Refusals also rose, from 3,276 in FY2023 to 6,130 in FY2024.

Total adjudications more than doubled over that period, while the refusal rate fell from roughly 14% to 11%, so consular posts were both working through far more cases and issuing a somewhat larger share of them. Department of State refusal counts include INA 221(g) administrative processing refusals that are later overcome, so they are not a clean measure of final denials.

Countries That Receive the Most K-1 Fiancé Visas

The Philippines leads globally in fiancé visa issuances, more than the next four leading countries combined

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Department of State data

As visa issuances reached their highest level in more than a decade, the geographic distribution of K-1 visas continued to reflect longstanding patterns in global migration to the United States. Asia received 21,026 K-1 visas in FY2024, more than double the total for North America (10,059) and substantially more than Africa (6,277), Europe (4,968), and South America (4,860). The concentration of issuances in Asia reflects the region's deep family, economic, and migration ties with the United States, many of which have developed over several decades.

The Philippines remained by far the largest recipient of K-1 fiancé visas, with 10,228 visas issued in FY2024, more than one in five of all K-1 visas issued worldwide and roughly 2.4 times the total for Mexico. Mexico ranked second with 4,180 visas, followed by Vietnam (2,208), the Dominican Republic (1,969), and Colombia (1,863). The Philippines' longstanding lead reflects a combination of historical and demographic factors rather than a recent shift in migration patterns.

The United States and the Philippines have maintained close political, military, and economic ties for more than a century, while decades of migration have created one of the largest Filipino diaspora communities in the United States. Combined with widespread English proficiency and extensive family and social networks spanning both countries, those ties have consistently made the Philippines the leading source of K-1 fiancé visas.

Which U.S. States Receive the Most K-1 Fiancé Visas?

California by far sees the highest total fiancé visa arrivals while Hawaii leads the nation in per capita admissions

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Department of Homeland Security data

Where K-1 visa holders ultimately settle often mirrors broader immigration patterns, with the largest numbers arriving in states that have sizable populations and well-established immigrant communities. California received 8,180 fiancé visa arrivals in FY2024, more than Florida (3,940) and Texas (3,870) combined, the next two highest-ranking states. New York (3,200), Illinois (1,840), Washington (1,450), New Jersey (1,400), and Georgia (1,310) also ranked among the leading destinations, reflecting their large populations and longstanding roles as major gateways for new immigrants.

Adjusting for population presents a different picture. Hawaii recorded 34.6 fiancé visa arrivals per 100,000 residents in FY2024, well ahead of California (20.7), Alaska (20.3), Nevada (20.2), Washington (18.2), and Massachusetts (17.9). Hawaii's unusually high rate likely reflects its unique geographic position in the Pacific and longstanding historical, cultural, and economic ties with Asia.

For more information on how the analysis was conducted, see the methodology section. For complete results, see The Changing Landscape of Immigrant Fiancé Visas in the U.S. on Manifest Law.

What’s Next for the K-1 Fiancé Visa?

The K-1 fiancé visa program appears to be entering a new phase following its post-pandemic recovery. While the State Department largely restored overseas visa operations to drive record K-1 issuances in FY2024, USCIS petition approvals have since slowed, causing pending caseloads and median processing times to climb once again into 2026.

Petitioners now navigate a landscape shaped by updated administrative procedures and higher baseline costs. The Form I-129F filing fee petitions has increased from $535 to $675 on April 1, 2024 under the USCIS fee rule, and adjudications are subject to expanded vetting protocols, elevated evidentiary standards for proving relationship authenticity, and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems to verify identities. Country-based adjudication holds issued in late 2025 and early 2026 were vacated by a federal court in June 2026, and USCIS is currently treating them as not in effect while the government's appeal to the First Circuit is pending. Applicants from affected countries should confirm current status before relying on either the holds or their removal.

Whether agencies can prevent processing times from escalating further will depend on how effectively USCIS and the Department of State leverage technical infrastructure, such as expanded online filing, automated case intake, and cross-center workload rebalancing, to offset these additional layers of security review. For U.S. citizens petitioning for a foreign fiancé, navigating the K-1 pathway today requires greater financial investment, meticulous documentary evidence, and cautious planning as federal agencies balance mandatory screening protocols with processing throughput.

Methodology

Photo Credit: Zayatsphoto / Shutterstock

To examine how the K-1 fiancé visa program has changed over time, researchers at Manifest Law analyzed data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Immigration and Citizenship Data, the U.S. Department of State’s FY2024 Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) FY2024 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-Year Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024). USCIS data were used to analyze Form I-129F petition receipts, approvals, pending caseloads, and median processing times. Annual K-1 visa issuance data by country were obtained from the Department of State's Report of the Visa Office, while state-level K-1 fiancé visa arrivals were obtained from DHS's Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. Per capita state rankings were calculated using Vintage 2024 U.S. Census Bureau population estimates and are expressed as K-1 fiancé visa arrivals per 100,000 residents.

Researchers calculated quarterly petition receipts, petition approvals, pending petitions, and median processing times using USCIS data through the first quarter of 2026. Annual visa issuance trends and country rankings were calculated using Department of State data through fiscal year 2024, while state-level rankings reflect the number of K-1 fiancé visa holders admitted to each state during fiscal year 2024. USCIS, the Department of State, and DHS all report on the federal fiscal year, which runs October 1 through September 30. Regional country totals were calculated by grouping countries into standard geographic regions.

Because USCIS, the Department of State, and DHS each report different stages of the K-1 visa process, figures are not directly comparable across datasets. USCIS reports petitions filed and adjudicated, the Department of State reports K-1 visas issued by U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, and DHS reports admissions of K-1 visa holders into the United States. Differences in reporting periods and processing timelines may therefore result in variations between agency totals for the same year.

For complete results, see The Changing Landscape of Immigrant Fiancé Visas in the U.S. on Manifest Law.

These visa programs have become an increasingly important component of the U.S. labor market as employers across a range of industries face persistent workforce shortages driven by demographic shifts, seasonal demand, and geographic mismatches between available jobs and workers. In agriculture, seasonal foreign workers primarily help farms plant, cultivate, and harvest crops that might otherwise face labor constraints. Outside agriculture, H-2B workers support industries that experience predictable seasonal surges, from maintaining parks and resorts to landscaping commercial properties and serving tourists during peak travel seasons. Because many of these industries are concentrated in particular regions, reliance on seasonal foreign labor can have an outsized effect on local economies, influencing business operations, consumer services, and employment patterns throughout the year.

The economic importance of seasonal foreign labor also varies considerably across the country. Agricultural regions often depend heavily on H-2A workers to sustain labor-intensive crop production, while many coastal and tourism-oriented communities rely on H-2B workers to meet seasonal demand in hospitality, recreation, and related services. Examining where employers request these workers—and the occupations they fill—provides a clearer picture of how different local economies have adapted to persistent labor shortages and evolving workforce needs.

This analysis, conducted by Manifest Law—a modern immigration law firm specializing in immigration visas—uses the U.S. Department of Labor’s labor certification data to examine where demand for seasonal foreign labor is most concentrated across occupations, states, and metropolitan areas. The analysis compares both H-2A and H-2B labor certification requests to identify which industries rely most heavily on temporary foreign workers and where seasonal labor demand represents the largest share of the local workforce, highlighting regional differences in how employers meet seasonal staffing needs.

Which Occupations Are Most Reliant on Seasonal Foreign Labor?

The vast majority of seasonal foreign hiring requests are concentrated in farmworkers and landscapers

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data

Among H-2A labor certification requests, employers in the 12-month period ending in March 2026 sought more than 533,000 farmworkers and laborers working in crops, nurseries, and greenhouses, making it by far the most-requested occupation. Other leading occupations include agricultural equipment operators (approximately 64,300 requested workers) and farmworkers working with animals (roughly 26,300). While the H-2A program is designed to support agricultural employers, certified requests also include occupations that support farming operations in secondary capacities, such as construction laborers (3,699), shuttle drivers and chauffeurs (2,543), and carpenter helpers (2,315). The concentration of requests among crop workers underscores the labor-intensive nature of U.S. agriculture and the industry's substantial seasonal workforce needs during planting and harvest periods.

Demand through the H-2B program is similarly concentrated, although across a broader range of industries. Unlike H-2A, which has no annual numerical limit, H-2B is generally capped at 66,000 visas each fiscal year, though Congress and the Department of Homeland Security have regularly authorized supplemental visas in recent years as employer demand has exceeded the statutory limit. As a result, certified labor requests reflect employer demand for seasonal workers rather than the number of workers ultimately admitted through the program. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers account for nearly 79,400 requested positions—almost six times more than the next-largest occupation, maids and housekeeping cleaners (13,462). Other leading occupations include forest and conservation workers (13,014), restaurant cooks (10,025), amusement and recreation attendants (9,310), and construction laborers (7,934). Together, these occupations illustrate how employers across landscaping, hospitality, recreation, forestry, construction, and other seasonal industries use the labor certification process to address recurring workforce shortages during predictable periods of peak demand.

Where Non-Farm Industries Rely Most on Seasonal Foreign Labor

Non-agricultural jobs dominate seasonal foreign hiring in New England, while agricultural hubs like California and Washington have the lowest share

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data

The balance between agricultural and non-agricultural seasonal foreign labor varies considerably across the United States, reflecting differences in regional economies and industry composition. New England stands out as the region where employers rely most heavily on the H-2B program, with non-agricultural occupations accounting for the overwhelming majority of seasonal foreign labor requests. By contrast, many of the country's largest agricultural producers—including California and Washington—depend far more heavily on H-2A workers, resulting in some of the nation's lowest shares of non-agricultural seasonal labor demand.

Rhode Island has the highest concentration of non-agricultural seasonal labor requests, with 98.9% of requested workers tied to H-2B occupations. Alaska follows at 95.6%, while Massachusetts (91.4%), New Hampshire (84.2%), Maine (82.5%), and Vermont (78.8%) also rank among the states where seasonal foreign labor is overwhelmingly concentrated outside agriculture. Many of these states have relatively small agricultural sectors but significant demand from industries such as tourism, hospitality, landscaping, forestry, seafood processing, and recreation, all of which commonly rely on H-2B workers during peak seasons.

At the other end of the spectrum, agricultural states account for the lowest shares of non-agricultural seasonal labor demand. Just 6.3% of Washington's seasonal foreign labor requests are tied to H-2B occupations, followed by California at 7.7%, Georgia at 14.1%, New Mexico at 17.0%, and North Dakota at 19.6%. In these states, demand is driven primarily by H-2A requests supporting crop production and other agricultural operations, illustrating how regional industry specialization shapes employers' reliance on the nation's two seasonal foreign worker programs.

Which States Request the Most Seasonal Foreign Labor?

Seasonal foreign labor requests make up the largest workforce share in Gulf and Northwest border states

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data

Seasonal foreign labor demand is most concentrated in a mix of agricultural and Gulf Coast states, where certified labor requests account for a comparatively large share of the local workforce. Measured by requested workers per 10,000 resident employees, North Dakota ranks first with 179 requested seasonal foreign workers, followed by South Dakota (132), Idaho (111), Louisiana (104), and Montana (95). Other states with relatively high concentrations include Mississippi (87), Washington (83), Georgia (81), Maine (79), and Florida (74). Although these states rely on different industries—from agriculture in the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest to seafood, hospitality, and tourism along the Gulf Coast—they share a common reliance on seasonal labor to meet recurring workforce shortages.

The ranking shifts when measured by the total number of requested seasonal foreign workers rather than workforce concentration. Florida leads the nation with 78,647 requested workers in certified labor cases, followed by Georgia (42,337), California (38,377), Texas (37,128), and Washington (32,099). Large populations and diverse economies allow many of these states to generate substantial demand even when seasonal foreign labor represents a smaller share of the overall workforce than in less populous states.

The metropolitan data further illustrates how seasonal labor demand is often concentrated in agricultural communities. Among all metropolitan and micropolitan areas, Othello, Washington, recorded the nation's highest concentration, with 11,482 requested seasonal foreign workers per 10,000 resident employees. Other leading communities include Clewiston, Florida (5,947), Arcadia, Florida (5,386), Moses Lake, Washington (4,976), and Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, Washington (2,666). These communities are major agricultural production centers where seasonal hiring demand can approach or even exceed the size of the local resident workforce during peak growing seasons.

That pattern extends across larger metropolitan areas as well, although at lower concentrations. Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, Florida, ranks first among large metropolitan areas with 137 requested seasonal foreign workers per 10,000 resident employees, while Naples–Marco Island, Florida, leads midsize metros with 510. Together, the metro-level rankings demonstrate that seasonal foreign labor demand is often shaped by highly localized industries, with agricultural regions generating especially large concentrations of certified labor requests relative to the size of their resident workforce.

This analysis was conducted by researchers at Manifest Law using certified labor certification data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification Performance Data and employment estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. For complete results, see U.S. Cities and States Most Reliant on Seasonal Foreign Labor on Manifest Law. For more detailed information about how the study was conducted, see the methodology section below.

Looking Ahead: The H-2A and H-2B Outlook

Demand for seasonal foreign labor is expected to remain strong as employers continue to face persistent workforce shortages in agriculture, hospitality, landscaping, seafood processing, forestry, and other industries with highly seasonal labor needs. Demographic trends, including an aging domestic workforce and lower labor force participation in many physically demanding occupations, have contributed to continued reliance on the H-2A and H-2B programs. While H-2A requests can continue to grow without a statutory cap, demand for H-2B workers is likely to remain constrained by the program's annual limit, even as Congress and the Department of Homeland Security have repeatedly authorized supplemental visas in recent years to help employers experiencing severe labor shortages.

At the same time, both programs remain at the center of broader immigration and labor policy debates. Agricultural groups have continued to advocate for reforms that would streamline the H-2A process and expand eligibility to year-round agricultural industries such as dairy and livestock production, while business organizations representing seasonal employers have pushed for a permanent increase to the H-2B cap. Worker advocates, meanwhile, have called for stronger labor protections and enforcement to ensure temporary foreign workers receive fair wages and working conditions. How policymakers balance employer demand, worker protections, and broader immigration priorities will likely shape the future of seasonal foreign labor in the United States for years to come.

Methodology

Photo Credit: Zoran Zeremski / Shutterstock

This analysis was conducted by researchers at Manifest Law using certified labor certification data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification Performance Data and employment estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. Labor certification requests submitted through the H-2A and H-2B programs were used to measure employer demand for seasonal foreign labor, while workforce estimates were used to calculate requested workers per 10,000 resident employees at the national, state, and metropolitan levels. For relevance, the latest 12-month period of available data from the Department of Labor (April 2025–March 2026) was used, and only the total requested workers for certified cases were considered in this analysis.

State and metropolitan totals may exceed the national total because certified labor cases can include worksites that span multiple jurisdictions. When a certified case includes work performed in more than one state or metropolitan area, all requested workers are attributed to each applicable jurisdiction. For example, if an employer requests 10 farmworkers to work at locations in both Los Angeles County and San Diego County, all 10 requested workers are counted in each metropolitan area. As a result, state, metropolitan, and national totals should not be compared directly.

For brevity, the term "seasonal labor" is used throughout this report to broadly describe temporary employment requested for one-time occurrences, seasonal needs, peak-load needs, or intermittent labor requirements under the H-2A and H-2B programs. References to metropolitan areas include both metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

For relevance, metropolitan and micropolitan areas were grouped into the following population cohorts:

• Large: more than 1,000,000
• Midsize: 350,000 to 999,999
• Small: 100,000 to 349,999
• Extra Small: less than 100,000

For complete results, see U.S. Cities and States Most Reliant on Seasonal Foreign Labor on Manifest Law.