In January 2025—U.S. President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Month—a record number of Nepalis received both immigrant and non-immigrant visas to the United States. In the fourth month of Fiscal Year 2025, 3,255 Nepalis secured non-immigrant visas, and 778 obtained immigrant visas, commonly known as green cards, in January alone.
The data, sourced from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and released today, reveals that in the first four months of FY 2025 (October 2024 to January 2025), a total of 12,803 Nepalis were granted U.S. visas. Of these, 10,184 received non-immigrant visas, primarily for temporary purposes such as tourism, business, or study, while 2,619 obtained immigrant visas, paving the way for permanent residency.
The monthly breakdown for immigrant visas shows steady growth: 669 in October, 476 in November, 696 in December, and a peak of 778 in January. Non-immigrant visas followed a similar upward trend, with 2,722 issued in October, 2,089 in November, 2,118 in December, and a record 3,255 in January.
Of the 778 Nepalis who received immigrant visas in January 2025, the majority—493—secured green cards through the Diversity Visa (DV) program. Across the first four months of FY 2025, 2,619 Nepalis obtained immigrant visas, with 710 of these being Diversity Visas. The DV issuances were notably low in the initial months—14 in October and 6 in November—before spiking to 197 in December and 493 in January.
For FY 2025, 3,861 Nepalis were selected in the DV lottery, placing Nepal third in Asia, behind Iran (5,267) and Afghanistan (4,009). This continues a long-standing trend: in FY 2024, 3,431 out of 3,836 Nepali DV winners received green cards.
Since the program’s inception in 1995, over 57,000 Nepalis have gained permanent residency through this avenue, accounting for more than 25% of all Nepali green card holders in the U.S. Globally, Nepalis consistently rank among the top recipients of Diversity Visas.
Other immigrant visa categories in January included 110 IR-5 visas (for parents or adult children of U.S. citizens), 56 IR-1 visas (for immediate family members like spouses or children under 21), and 25 CR-1 visas (for spouses). Smaller numbers were issued in family-based categories like F2A (22), F4 (13), and employment-based categories like E3 (21).
Immigrant visa recipients typically apply from Nepal or other countries outside the U.S., with their green cards mailed to a U.S. address within a month of arrival. Those who opt in during the DS-260 application process also receive a Social Security Number automatically.
The 3,255 non-immigrant visas issued in January were dominated by the B1/B2 visitor visa category, with 2,150 Nepalis receiving these for tourism, business, or medical purposes. Over the four-month period, 6,649 of the 10,184 non-immigrant visas issued were B1/B2 visas, with monthly figures of 1,672 in October, 1,636 in November, 1,191 in December, and 2,150 in January.
In FY 2024, approximately 24,309 Nepalis received B1/B2 visitor visas out of 48,100 applicants, yielding a rejection rate of nearly 49.5%. While visa approval rates for Nepalis were exceptionally high during the first three years of the Biden administration, they declined sharply in its final year.
For Diversity Visa recipients, the clock is ticking: those selected for FY 2025 must secure their visas by September 30, 2025, or forfeit their eligibility. Applicants from the DV 2025 lottery (open from October 4 to November 7, 2023) are urged to retain their confirmation numbers until at least that date to check their status or finalize processing.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
