Can I get a U.S. visa?
7,100 U.S. visas were issued to people from New Zealand in the last 12 months, mostly J1 (exchange visitor), B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), A2 (foreign government official). Here are the numbers that matter before you apply.
7,100 in the 12 months to February 2026. Month by month for New Zealand · by fiscal year since 1997.
About 78% of visitor (B) visa applications from New Zealand were approved in FY2025. See the refusal rate page.
Visitor visa: wait about 1.5 months at Auckland. Student visa: about 1 month at Auckland. All embassies in New Zealand.
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. 7,100 U.S. nonimmigrant visas were issued to people from New Zealand in the 12 months up to February 2026, most of them J1 (exchange visitor), B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), A2 (foreign government official). 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 New Zealand was about 21.94% in FY2025, so about 78% 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 New Zealand (Auckland), the typical wait for a visitor visa interview is about 1.5 months, and for students about 1 month (Auckland). The State Department updates these numbers monthly; real dates change every day.