Approvals and refusals worldwide

O3

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

O3 visas · FY2017

82% approved

4,974 approved (issued) · 1,080 refused · 6,054 applications, worldwide.

Approved share by year

Choose a year

85%84%84%82%82%97%93%94%92%90%

1420152016201720182019202120222023202420

Every year

Fiscal year	Approved	Refused	Applications	Approved %
FY2024	6,035	692	6,727	90%
FY2023	6,453	546	6,999	92%
FY2022	6,234	431	6,665	94%
FY2021	2,838	206	3,044	93%
FY2019	5,337	160	5,497	97%
FY2018	4,923	1,110	6,033	82%
FY2017	4,974	1,080	6,054	82%
FY2016	4,836	927	5,763	84%
FY2015	4,023	742	4,765	84%
FY2014	3,473	590	4,063	85%

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 O3 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.

O3 in short

How many O3 visa applications are approved?

Worldwide in FY2017, 4,974 of 6,054 O3 visa applications were approved (issued), about 82%, and 1,080 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.