Approvals and refusals worldwide

U1

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

U1 visas · FY2018

35% approved

128 approved (issued) · 243 refused · 371 applications, worldwide.

Approved share by year

Choose a year

41%31%33%33%35%64%64%70%72%65%

1420152016201720182019202120222023202420

Every year

Fiscal year	Approved	Refused	Applications	Approved %
FY2024	155	83	238	65%
FY2023	225	86	311	72%
FY2022	178	78	256	70%
FY2021	138	79	217	64%
FY2019	127	71	198	64%
FY2018	128	243	371	35%
FY2017	129	258	387	33%
FY2016	146	299	445	33%
FY2015	121	264	385	31%
FY2014	149	212	361	41%

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 U1 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.

U1 in short

How many U1 visa applications are approved?

Worldwide in FY2018, 128 of 371 U1 visa applications were approved (issued), about 35%, and 243 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.