The State Department's adjusted refusal rate. Approved is what is left after the refusals.
Fiscal year
Refused
Approved
FY2025
5.1%
about 95%
FY2024
6%
about 94%
FY2023
11.6%
about 88%
FY2022
10%
about 90%
FY2021
18.4%
about 82%
FY2020
12.5%
about 87%
FY2019
9.8%
about 90%
FY2018
11.3%
about 89%
FY2017
15%
about 85%
FY2016
16.9%
about 83%
FY2015
17.3%
about 83%
FY2014
15.2%
about 85%
FY2013
19.9%
about 80%
FY2012
18%
about 82%
FY2011
15.7%
about 84%
FY2010
17.2%
about 83%
FY2009
17.8%
about 82%
FY2008
13.3%
about 87%
FY2007
14.3%
about 86%
FY2006
17.5%
about 83%
A fiscal year runs from October to September (FY2025 is October 2024 to September 2025). This is for visitor (B) visas only.
In plain words
Refusal rate
Out of 100 people who applied, how many were told no. A 20% refusal rate means about 20 in 100 were refused.
Adjusted
The State Department leaves out people who were refused for paperwork reasons and later got the visa, so the number is fairer.
Approved
The visa was issued. We show it as what is left after the refusals.
Applications (workload)
Everyone the embassies decided on in the year: visas issued plus visas refused.
Fiscal year (FY)
The U.S. government year, October to September. FY2025 is October 2024 to September 2025.
Bulgaria in short
What is the U.S. visa refusal rate for Bulgaria?
For b visas (visitors), the adjusted refusal rate for people from Bulgaria was 10% in FY2022, which means about 90% of applications were approved. It is a group figure for one fiscal year, not a prediction for any one person.
Visa Status is an unofficial site and does not give immigration advice. A refusal rate describes all applications from a country in one year. It does not predict what will happen to any one applicant.