Visa refusals
How often U.S. visa applications are approved or refused: by nationality for visitor visas, and worldwide for every visa type. These are group figures and say nothing about any one person's case.
Latest: FY2025 · Source: U.S. Department of State, visa statistics · Unofficial
B visas (visitors) · at least 100 visas issued in the last 12 months
B visas (visitors) · at least 100 visas issued in the last 12 months
Worldwide · at least 100 applications
Worldwide · at least 100 applications · approved means issued
Refused and approved shares for B visas (visitors). Approved is what is left after the refusals.
| Nationality | Refused | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Micronesia, Federated States of | 100% | about 0% |
| Laos | 84.4% | about 16% |
| Somalia | 83.5% | about 16% |
| Palau | 80% | about 20% |
| South Sudan | 76.1% | about 24% |
| Gambia, The | 75.3% | about 25% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 75.2% | about 25% |
| Senegal | 74% | about 26% |
| Liberia | 73% | about 27% |
| Togo | 72% | about 28% |
| Burkina Faso | 71.3% | about 29% |
| Cuba | 70.9% | about 29% |
| Sierra Leone | 70.6% | about 29% |
| Nepal | 69.5% | about 31% |
| Burundi | 69.2% | about 31% |
| Equatorial Guinea | 68.6% | about 31% |
| Kenya | 68.2% | about 32% |
| Yemen | 68% | about 32% |
| Mauritania | 67.6% | about 32% |
| Guinea | 66.9% | about 33% |
See every visa type, with search →
It is the share of visa applications that were refused in a fiscal year (October to September). The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for visitor (B) visas is published for every nationality. It is a group figure, not a prediction for any one person.
Approved means the visa was issued. For the nationality rates, the approved share is simply what is left after the refusals, so a 37% refusal rate means about 63% were approved.
The nationality rate is the State Department's own adjusted measure for visitor visas. The worldwide table counts every application by visa type, and refusals there include all applications still refused at year end. They answer different questions, so do not compare them directly.
Visa Status is an unofficial site and does not give immigration advice. A refusal or approval rate describes a group of applications in one fiscal year. It does not predict what will happen to any one applicant.