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  1. US Visa Statistics
  2. Approval Rates

Official US State Department data

US visa approval rates

The share of US visa applications that were approved each fiscal year, for all visas and by visa type.

Data through FY2024

US visa applications approved, FY2024

US fiscal year: October 2023 to September 2024

77.0%77.0%

Down 3.8 ptsvs 80.8% in FY2023

In FY2024, 77.0% of US visa applications were approved: 10,969,936 visas issued and 3,276,033 refused. That's 3.8 pts lower than FY2023.

Issued
11M
Refused
3.28M
Decided
14.2M
Approval rate by fiscal year
70%75%80%85%90%
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24

By visa type

FY2024 approval rate for each visa type, with FY2023 marked. Pick one for its history.

FY2024 approval rateFY2023
  • L-2Spouses and children of L-1 transferees
    97.4%About flat, 0.3 pts
    73,317 issued · 1,931 refused
  • H-1BSpecialty occupation workers
    97.2%Down 0.7 pts
    219,659 issued · 6,298 refused
  • H-4Spouses and children of H workers
    96.6%Down 1.3 pts
    139,874 issued · 4,932 refused
  • L-1Intracompany transferees
    96.1%Down 0.6 pts
    71,799 issued · 2,914 refused
  • J-2Spouses and children of J-1 visitors
    91.4%Down 0.7 pts
    32,512 issued · 3,050 refused
  • J-1Exchange visitors
    89.0%About flat, 0.5 pts
    322,820 issued · 39,747 refused
  • B-1Business visitors
    78.8%Down 4.9 pts
    31,544 issued · 8,487 refused
  • M-1Vocational students
    73.9%Down 0.8 pts
    6,322 issued · 2,237 refused
  • B1/B2Business and tourist visitors
    72.2%Down 4 pts
    6,498,006 issued · 2,497,104 refused
  • F-1Academic students
    59.0%Down 4.7 pts
    400,737 issued · 278,553 refused
  • B-2Tourists and medical visitors
    55.9%Down 9 pts
    12,072 issued · 9,505 refused
  • F-2Spouses and children of F-1 students
    51.2%Down 1.7 pts
    24,055 issued · 22,912 refused

Applications decided each year

Every US visa application, issued or refused, by fiscal year.

IssuedRefused

FY2024 · 10,969,936 issued · 3,276,033 refused

05M10M15M20M
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24
Show the yearly numbers
Applications issued and refused per fiscal year, all US visas
Fiscal yearIssuedRefusedApproval rate
FY202410,969,9363,276,03377.0%Down 3.8 pts
FY202310,438,3282,481,12180.8%Down 3.4 pts
FY20226,815,1201,276,19384.2%Down 4.5 pts
FY20212,792,083356,24088.7%Up 13.8 pts
FY20204,013,2101,348,12874.9%About flat, 0.4 pts
FY20198,742,0682,992,43774.5%

Approval history starts in FY2019, when State Dept began counting applications instead of transactions. Earlier years are not directly comparable.

About these numbers

Approval rate
Visas issued ÷ (issued + refused), worldwide, for each US fiscal year (October to September). Approval history starts in FY2019, when State Dept began counting each application's final outcome for that year. Earlier reports count transactions, including repeated refusals, so subtracting refusals later overcome doesn't make those years directly comparable. State Dept doesn't publish these tables by country or consulate.
Border crossing cards
B1/B2 visas issued as cards, almost all in Mexico. Issuance numbers count them as B1/B2. Approval rates for B1/B2 leave them out, because State Dept reports their decisions separately.
Visas issued, not appointments
Every number here is a visa the US State Department issued. It shows demand and how much the consulates process, not how many interview slots are open.

Source: US Department of State.Monthly nonimmigrant visa issuancesNonimmigrant visa statisticsFY2019 reporting methodologyCheck Visa Slots isn't affiliated with the US government.