Approvals and refusals worldwide

H1B · Specialty occupation worker

For temporary workers in jobs that need specialized knowledge and usually a bachelor's degree or higher. How many applications were approved and refused, every fiscal year with data.

Source: U.S. Department of State, NIV workload by visa category · Unofficial

Visa category

H1B visas · FY2015

90% approved

172,748 approved (issued) · 19,446 refused · 192,194 applications, worldwide.

Approved share by year

Choose a year

90%90%88%83%78%98%93%98%98%97%

1420152016201720182019202120222023202420

Every year

Fiscal year	Approved	Refused	Applications	Approved %
FY2024	219,659	6,298	225,957	97%
FY2023	265,777	5,755	271,532	98%
FY2022	206,002	5,020	211,022	98%
FY2021	61,569	4,738	66,307	93%
FY2019	188,123	3,864	191,987	98%
FY2018	179,660	51,373	231,033	78%
FY2017	179,049	36,254	215,303	83%
FY2016	180,057	23,590	203,647	88%
FY2015	172,748	19,446	192,194	90%
FY2014	161,369	18,039	179,408	90%

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 H1B you can see the worldwide numbers above. See B visas by nationality →

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.

H1B in short

How many H1B visa applications are approved?

Worldwide in FY2015, 172,748 of 192,194 H1B visa applications were approved (issued), about 90%, and 19,446 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.