Can I get a U.S. visa?
119,153 U.S. visas were issued to people from Costa Rica in the last 12 months, mostly B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), J1 (exchange visitor), H2B (temporary non-agricultural worker). Here are the numbers that matter before you apply.
119,153 in the 12 months to February 2026. Month by month for Costa Rica · by fiscal year since 1997.
About 84% of visitor (B) visa applications from Costa Rica were approved in FY2025. See the refusal rate page.
Visitor visa: wait about 9 months at San Jose. Student visa: about Under 15 days at San Jose. All embassies in Costa Rica.
These are group numbers from the U.S. Department of State. They cannot tell what will happen to one person. Unofficial; not legal advice.
Yes. 119,153 U.S. nonimmigrant visas were issued to people from Costa Rica in the 12 months up to February 2026, most of them B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), J1 (exchange visitor), H2B (temporary non-agricultural worker). Whether one person gets a visa depends on their own case: the officer decides at the interview.
The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for visitor (B) visas for Costa Rica was about 16.14% in FY2025, so about 84% were approved. This is a group figure and cannot tell what will happen to you.
At the shortest-wait U.S. embassy or consulate in Costa Rica (San Jose), the typical wait for a visitor visa interview is about 9 months, and for students about Under 15 days (San Jose). The State Department updates these numbers monthly; real dates change every day.