Approvals and refusals worldwide
For other officials and employees of foreign governments on official business. How many applications were approved and refused, every fiscal year with data.
Source: U.S. Department of State, NIV workload by visa category · Unofficial
| Fiscal year | Approved | Refused | Applications | Approved % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 96,693 | 4,287 | 100,980 | 96% |
| FY2023 | 98,550 | 4,087 | 102,637 | 96% |
| FY2022 | 85,752 | 4,450 | 90,202 | 95% |
| FY2021 | 47,027 | 3,397 | 50,424 | 93% |
| FY2019 | 99,131 | 3,766 | 102,897 | 96% |
| FY2018 | 103,134 | 16,201 | 119,335 | 86% |
| FY2017 | 98,849 | 14,139 | 112,988 | 87% |
| FY2016 | 101,778 | 13,251 | 115,029 | 88% |
| FY2015 | 100,563 | 12,019 | 112,582 | 89% |
| FY2014 | 101,436 | 15,893 | 117,329 | 86% |
A fiscal year runs from October to September. Refused counts the applications still refused at the end of the year.
The State Department publishes refusal rates by nationality for visitor (B) visas only. For A2 you can see the worldwide numbers above. See B visas by nationality →
Worldwide in FY2016, 101,778 of 115,029 A2 visa applications were approved (issued), about 88%, and 13,251 were refused. This is a group figure, not a prediction for any one person.
Visa Status is an unofficial site and does not give immigration advice. These numbers describe all applications worldwide in one fiscal year. They do not predict what will happen to any one applicant.