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  1. US Visa Statistics
  2. Approval Rates
  3. H-1B

Official US State Department data

H-1B visa approval rate

What share of H-1B visa applications were approved each fiscal year, how many were issued and refused, and who gets H-1B visas.

Data through FY2024

H-1B visa applications approved, FY2024

US fiscal year: October 2023 to September 2024

97.2%97.2%

Down 0.7 ptsvs 97.9% in FY2023

In FY2024, 97.2% of H-1B visa applications were approved: 219,659 visas issued and 6,298 refused. That's 0.7 pts lower than FY2023.

Issued
220k
Refused
6.3k
Decided
226k
Approval rate by fiscal year
90%95%100%
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24

Applications decided each year

Every H-1B visa application, issued or refused, by fiscal year.

IssuedRefused

FY2024 · 219,659 issued · 6,298 refused

0100k200k300k400k
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24

Who gets H-1B visas

H-1B visas issued to each country's nationals, last 12 months against the 12 months before.

Last 12 monthsThe 12 months before
  • 🇮🇳
    India64% of all
    99kDown 37%
    99,496 visas in the last 12 months, 158,065 in the 12 months before
  • 🇨🇳
    China14% of all
    22kDown 27%
    22,324 visas in the last 12 months, 30,582 in the 12 months before
  • 🇵🇭
    Philippines1.6% of all
    2.5kDown 26%
    2,545 visas in the last 12 months, 3,445 in the 12 months before
  • 🇰🇷
    South Korea1.3% of all
    2kDown 18%
    2,006 visas in the last 12 months, 2,459 in the 12 months before
  • 🇲🇽
    Mexico1.3% of all
    1.9kDown 14%
    1,934 visas in the last 12 months, 2,236 in the 12 months before
  • 🇹🇼
    Taiwan1.2% of all
    1.9kDown 7.5%
    1,902 visas in the last 12 months, 2,056 in the 12 months before
  • 🇧🇷
    Brazil1% of all
    1.6kDown 21%
    1,569 visas in the last 12 months, 1,983 in the 12 months before
  • 🇬🇧
    United Kingdom0.9% of all
    1.4kDown 7.4%
    1,427 visas in the last 12 months, 1,541 in the 12 months before
  • 🇵🇰
    Pakistan0.8% of all
    1.3kDown 30%
    1,255 visas in the last 12 months, 1,790 in the 12 months before
  • 🇫🇷
    France0.6% of all
    936Down 5.8%
    936 visas in the last 12 months, 994 in the 12 months before

India, China and Philippines received 81% of all H-1B visas issued in the last 12 months. Among the 20 biggest, Nigeria fell the most (−39%).

Show the yearly numbers
Applications issued and refused per fiscal year, H-1B visas
Fiscal yearIssuedRefusedApproval rate
FY2024219,6596,29897.2%Down 0.7 pts
FY2023265,7775,75597.9%About flat, 0.3 pts
FY2022206,0025,02097.6%Up 4.8 pts
FY202161,5694,73892.9%Down 4.4 pts
FY2020124,9833,52597.3%Down 0.7 pts
FY2019188,1233,86498.0%

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.
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.
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.