Approvals and refusals worldwide

H4 · Dependent of an H worker

For the spouse and unmarried children of H-1B, H-2A, H-2B and similar workers. 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

H4 visas · FY2019

98% approved

125,999 approved (issued) · 2,376 refused · 128,375 applications, worldwide.

Approved share by year

Choose a year

92%92%91%89%85%98%96%98%98%97%

1420152016201720182019202120222023202420

Every year

Fiscal year	Approved	Refused	Applications	Approved %
FY2024	139,874	4,932	144,806	97%
FY2023	186,748	3,938	190,686	98%
FY2022	137,246	3,514	140,760	98%
FY2021	55,444	2,607	58,051	96%
FY2019	125,999	2,376	128,375	98%
FY2018	130,814	23,362	154,176	85%
FY2017	136,393	16,735	153,128	89%
FY2016	131,051	12,663	143,714	91%
FY2015	124,484	10,248	134,732	92%
FY2014	109,147	9,032	118,179	92%

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 H4 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.

H4 in short

How many H4 visa applications are approved?

Worldwide in FY2019, 125,999 of 128,375 H4 visa applications were approved (issued), about 98%, and 2,376 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.