Approvals and refusals worldwide

U5

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

U5 visas · FY2024

94% approved

17 approved (issued) · 1 refused · 18 applications, worldwide.

Approved share by year

Choose a year

66%58%64%55%60%80%77%98%96%94%

1420152016201720182019202120222023202420

Every year

Fiscal year	Approved	Refused	Applications	Approved %
FY2024	17	1	18	94%
FY2023	24	1	25	96%
FY2022	40	1	41	98%
FY2021	20	6	26	77%
FY2019	33	8	41	80%
FY2018	25	17	42	60%
FY2017	40	33	73	55%
FY2016	60	34	94	64%
FY2015	39	28	67	58%
FY2014	63	33	96	66%

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 U5 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.

U5 in short

How many U5 visa applications are approved?

Worldwide in FY2024, 17 of 18 U5 visa applications were approved (issued), about 94%, and 1 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.