Book My Visa Slot
  1. US Visa Statistics
  2. Approval Rates
  3. B1/B2

Official US State Department data

B1/B2 visa approval rate

What share of B1/B2 visa applications were approved each fiscal year, how many were issued and refused, and who gets B1/B2 visas.

Data through FY2024

B1/B2 visa applications approved, FY2024

US fiscal year: October 2023 to September 2024

72.2%72.2%

Down 4 ptsvs 76.2% in FY2023

In FY2024, 72.2% of B1/B2 visa applications were approved: 6,498,006 visas issued and 2,497,104 refused. That's 4 pts lower than FY2023.

Issued
6.5M
Refused
2.5M
Decided
9M
Approval rate by fiscal year
65%70%75%80%85%
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24

Applications decided each year

Every B1/B2 visa application, issued or refused, by fiscal year.

IssuedRefused

FY2024 · 6,498,006 issued · 2,497,104 refused

02.5M5M7.5M10M
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24

Who gets B1/B2 visas

B1/B2 visas issued to each country's nationals, last 12 months against the 12 months before.

Last 12 monthsThe 12 months before
  • 🇲🇽
    Mexico23% of all
    1.74MDown 14%
    1,744,383 visas in the last 12 months, 2,036,713 in the 12 months before
  • 🇮🇳
    India12% of all
    893kDown 4.6%
    892,982 visas in the last 12 months, 936,197 in the 12 months before
  • 🇨🇳
    China12% of all
    891kUp 7.1%
    891,230 visas in the last 12 months, 832,472 in the 12 months before
  • 🇧🇷
    Brazil10% of all
    773kDown 28%
    772,602 visas in the last 12 months, 1,071,155 in the 12 months before
  • 🇨🇴
    Colombia6.7% of all
    505kUp 4.2%
    505,324 visas in the last 12 months, 485,159 in the 12 months before
  • 🇦🇷
    Argentina3.6% of all
    271kDown 5.2%
    270,765 visas in the last 12 months, 285,675 in the 12 months before
  • 🇩🇴
    Dominican Republic2.2% of all
    169kDown 3.4%
    169,365 visas in the last 12 months, 175,314 in the 12 months before
  • 🇪🇨
    Ecuador2.1% of all
    157kDown 29%
    157,319 visas in the last 12 months, 222,314 in the 12 months before
  • 🇹🇷
    Türkiye1.9% of all
    146kUp 26%
    145,963 visas in the last 12 months, 115,618 in the 12 months before
  • 🇵🇪
    Peru1.7% of all
    127kAbout flat, 2%
    126,815 visas in the last 12 months, 129,415 in the 12 months before

Mexico, India and China received 47% of all B1/B2 visas issued in the last 12 months. Among the 20 biggest, Panama grew the most (+54%) and Pakistan fell the most (−51%).

Includes B1/B2 border crossing cards, which State Dept counts as their own classes.

Show the yearly numbers
Applications issued and refused per fiscal year, B1/B2 visas
Fiscal yearIssuedRefusedApproval rate
FY20246,498,0062,497,10472.2%Down 4 pts
FY20235,902,4251,842,68376.2%Down 3.2 pts
FY20223,228,199835,00379.4%Down 3.7 pts
FY2021814,957164,61683.2%Up 14.9 pts
FY20202,164,0211,003,43068.3%Down 1.5 pts
FY20195,297,4392,288,03369.8%

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

Compare every visa type's approval rate

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.
Last 12 months
The 12 months up to the latest month State Dept has published, compared with the 12 months before. Monthly reports arrive a few months late. Calendar years run January to December.

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