Can I get a U.S. visa?
59,157 U.S. visas were issued to people from South Africa in the last 12 months, mostly B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), H2A (temporary agricultural worker), C1/D (transit and crew member). Here are the numbers that matter before you apply.
59,157 in the 12 months to February 2026. Month by month for South Africa · by fiscal year since 1997.
About 88% of visitor (B) visa applications from South Africa were approved in FY2025. See the refusal rate page.
Visitor visa: wait about 1 month at Johannesburg. Student visa: about Under 15 days at Cape Town. All embassies in South Africa.
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. 59,157 U.S. nonimmigrant visas were issued to people from South Africa in the 12 months up to February 2026, most of them B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), H2A (temporary agricultural worker), C1/D (transit and crew member). 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 South Africa was about 11.66% in FY2025, so about 88% 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 South Africa (Johannesburg), the typical wait for a visitor visa interview is about 1 month, and for students about Under 15 days (Cape Town). The State Department updates these numbers monthly; real dates change every day.