The State Department's adjusted refusal rate. Approved is what is left after the refusals.
Fiscal year
Refused
Approved
FY2025
40.4%
about 60%
FY2024
38.6%
about 61%
FY2023
39.5%
about 61%
FY2022
26.2%
about 74%
FY2021
29.4%
about 71%
FY2020
17.8%
about 82%
FY2019
15.2%
about 85%
FY2018
14.9%
about 85%
FY2017
11.6%
about 88%
FY2016
9.3%
about 91%
FY2015
10.2%
about 90%
FY2014
7.8%
about 92%
FY2013
10.2%
about 90%
FY2012
9.6%
about 90%
FY2011
10.3%
about 90%
FY2010
10.1%
about 90%
FY2009
4.9%
about 95%
FY2008
7.5%
about 93%
FY2007
12.4%
about 88%
FY2006
15.3%
about 85%
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.
Russia in short
What is the U.S. visa refusal rate for Russia?
For b visas (visitors), the adjusted refusal rate for people from Russia was 15.2% in FY2019, which means about 85% 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.