The State Department's adjusted refusal rate. Approved is what is left after the refusals.
Fiscal year
Refused
Approved
FY2025
21.8%
about 78%
FY2024
21.5%
about 79%
FY2023
20.7%
about 79%
FY2022
17.1%
about 83%
FY2021
39.5%
about 61%
FY2020
18.4%
about 82%
FY2019
13.3%
about 87%
FY2018
15.2%
about 85%
FY2017
13.9%
about 86%
FY2016
12.8%
about 87%
FY2015
23.2%
about 77%
FY2014
15.4%
about 85%
FY2013
21%
about 79%
FY2012
16.3%
about 84%
FY2011
22.3%
about 78%
FY2010
20.5%
about 80%
FY2009
19.3%
about 81%
FY2008
15.2%
about 85%
FY2007
8.4%
about 92%
FY2006
8%
about 92%
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.
Sweden in short
What is the U.S. visa refusal rate for Sweden?
For b visas (visitors), the adjusted refusal rate for people from Sweden was 13.9% in FY2017, which means about 86% 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.