Visa refusal rate

South Africa

How often applications from South Africa were refused or approved, fiscal year by fiscal year.

Source: U.S. Department of State, visa statistics · Unofficial

Visa category

Fiscal year

Nationality

B visas (visitors) · FY2009

3.8% refused

About 96% approved · #189 of 198 nationalities, where #1 has the highest refusal rate. A group figure, not a prediction for any one person.

Refusal rate by year

Choose a year

5.2%5.9%4.6%3.8%4.1%4.6%2.9%2.6%2.6%5.1%6.8%6.4%7.3%

Every year

The State Department's adjusted refusal rate. Approved is what is left after the refusals.

Fiscal year	Refused	Approved
FY2025	11.7%	about 88%
FY2024	10.7%	about 89%
FY2023	11.3%	about 89%
FY2022	9.7%	about 90%
FY2021	17.7%	about 82%
FY2020	7.8%	about 92%
FY2019	6.9%	about 93%
FY2018	7.3%	about 93%
FY2017	6.4%	about 94%
FY2016	6.8%	about 93%
FY2015	5.1%	about 95%
FY2014	2.6%	about 97%
FY2013	2.6%	about 97%
FY2012	2.9%	about 97%
FY2011	4.6%	about 95%
FY2010	4.1%	about 96%
FY2009	3.8%	about 96%
FY2008	4.6%	about 95%
FY2007	5.9%	about 94%
FY2006	5.2%	about 95%

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.

South Africa in short

What is the U.S. visa refusal rate for South Africa?

For b visas (visitors), the adjusted refusal rate for people from South Africa was 3.8% in FY2009, which means about 96% 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.