B-1/B-2 Approval Rate Current Stats — What Data Exists

What B-1/B-2 Approval Rate Data Actually Exists

Most people searching for B-1/B-2 approval rates assume the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or the Department of State (DOS) publishes yearly approval percentages broken down by country, applicant profile, or visa category. They don't. USCIS does not publish approval rates for any nonimmigrant visa category, including B-1/B-2. What the Department of State does publish — annually, in its Report of the Visa Office — are refusal rates by nationality for visa applications processed at U.S. consulates and embassies abroad. Those refusal rates measure consular decisions only, not the full universe of B-1/B-2 outcomes, and they count applications refused under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as the primary category.

The distinction matters because a consular refusal rate does not account for applications that were never filed because the applicant withdrew before the interview, applications approved after overcoming an initial refusal through additional evidence, or cases where the consulate requested further administrative processing that later resulted in approval. It also excludes B-1/B-2 extensions and changes of status filed within the United States — USCIS processes those, and USCIS does not release approval percentages for them.

What you can verify from official sources is the consular refusal rate for a given nationality in a given fiscal year. What you cannot verify from any official source is an overall B-1/B-2 approval rate that applies across all applicants, all filing contexts, and all adjudicators.

The Only Published Numbers: DOS Refusal Rates

The Department of State publishes refusal rates in Table XX of the annual Report of the Visa Office, available at travel.state.gov. As of 2026, the most recent complete dataset is for fiscal year 2025. The table lists each country, the total number of B visa applications processed at consulates (B-1 and B-2 are reported together as a single "B" category in the data), and the percentage refused under Section 214(b) — the statutory ground that covers failure to overcome the presumption of immigrant intent.

For example, the FY 2025 report shows that India had a B visa refusal rate of approximately 19%, meaning 19% of B visa applications from Indian nationals processed at U.S. consulates that year were refused under 214(b). Mexico's rate was approximately 15%. China's was approximately 9%. Canada's was under 5%. These are consular refusal rates for that fiscal year, verified from the State Department's published data as of the report's release in early 2026.

These percentages do not mean that 81% of Indian nationals who want a B-1/B-2 visa will be approved, or that someone from Canada has a 95% chance of approval. They mean that among the pool of applicants from that country who completed the DS-160, paid the fee, attended a consular interview, and received a decision during that fiscal year, that percentage received a refusal under 214(b). The denominator excludes applicants who never reached the interview stage, applicants whose cases went into administrative processing and had not concluded by the end of the fiscal year, and applicants who filed for status changes or extensions with USCIS instead of applying at a consulate.

Refusal rates also vary significantly by consular post within a country. A consulate in a region with high visa overstay rates or fraud patterns may show a higher refusal rate than a consulate in a region with strong economic ties and lower overstay history, even for applicants from the same country. The Report of the Visa Office aggregates these into a single national rate.

What Section 214(b) Actually Measures

Section 214(b) of the INA establishes that every nonimmigrant visa applicant is presumed to be an intending immigrant — someone who plans to remain in the United States permanently — unless the applicant overcomes that presumption. For B-1/B-2 applicants, overcoming the presumption requires demonstrating strong ties to the home country: employment that will continue after the trip, property ownership, family obligations, financial resources, and a credible stated purpose for the visit that aligns with temporary business or tourism.

A consular officer denies a B-1/B-2 application under 214(b) when the evidence presented does not satisfy the officer that the applicant intends to return home. This is a discretionary determination based on the totality of the applicant's circumstances. There is no checklist, no required bank balance, and no minimum number of prior U.S. trips that guarantees approval. The officer weighs the applicant's answers during the interview, the documents submitted, the applicant's travel history, the economic and family situation in the home country, and the stated purpose of the visit.

Because the standard is subjective and the evidence required is not enumerated in regulation, two applicants with similar profiles can receive different outcomes depending on how persuasively each presents their case and which consular officer conducts the interview. This is why refusal rates vary by post and why an applicant refused once may be approved on a subsequent application after strengthening the evidence of ties.

Here's the Honest Answer: Published Rates Don't Predict Individual Outcomes

Let's be direct: knowing that your country's B visa refusal rate is 15% does not tell you whether your specific application will be approved. The refusal rate reflects aggregate outcomes across thousands of applications with widely varying fact patterns — recent graduates with no employment history, retirees with pension income and property, business owners attending conferences, tourists visiting family, applicants with prior U.S. overstays, applicants with spotless travel records. Your case is evaluated on your individual circumstances, not on the statistical performance of your nationality as a group.

The State Department does not publish approval rates broken down by applicant profile, trip purpose, income level, employment status, or prior travel history. It does not release data on how many applicants overcame an initial 214(b) refusal on reapplication. It does not report approval rates for B-1/B-2 extensions filed with USCIS. The only figure you can verify is the consular refusal rate for your country of nationality in the most recent fiscal year, and that figure measures the past, not your future outcome.

What determines approval is the strength of the evidence you present that you will depart the United States before your authorized stay expires. That evidence is case-specific.

Comparing B-1/B-2 Consular Refusal Rates by Region

Source: U.S. Department of State, Report of the Visa Office, Fiscal Year 2025, Table XX (Nonimmigrant Visa Refusals by Nationality and Visa Class). Rates are approximate and represent consular refusals under INA Section 214(b) only. Verified January 2026.

What If My Country Has a High Refusal Rate?

A high national refusal rate does not disqualify you. It means the consular officers at posts in your country see a higher volume of applications that fail to meet the 214(b) standard — often because many applicants in that applicant pool lack strong economic or family ties, submit insufficient documentation, or present trip purposes that do not align with temporary visitor status. Your application is adjudicated on your facts, not on the aggregate statistics of your nationality.

If your country's refusal rate is above 20%, your preparation must account for the fact that the consular officer will scrutinize your ties closely. Bring documentary evidence that you did not need to submit with the DS-160: employment letters stating your position, salary, and that your job will continue after the trip; property deeds or lease agreements; bank statements showing regular income and savings; family documents showing dependents who remain in your home country; and a detailed itinerary that matches your stated purpose. The officer is not required to request these documents, and many refusals occur because the applicant assumed the interview alone would suffice.

Reapplying after a 214(b) refusal is permitted — there is no waiting period and no limit on how many times you may apply. However, reapplying with the same evidence that led to the initial refusal will produce the same result. Strengthen your ties before reapplying: secure a promotion, purchase property, marry, or wait until your financial situation improves. The consular officer will see that you were previously refused and will evaluate whether your circumstances have materially changed.

What If I Was Refused Under a Different Section?

Not all refusals fall under Section 214(b). Other grounds include:

• Section 212(a)(6)(C)(i): fraud or willful misrepresentation of a material fact. A finding of fraud results in a permanent bar from admission unless a waiver is obtained. This is far more serious than a 214(b) refusal and is not overcome by reapplying — it requires a waiver application (Form I-601) filed with USCIS, which involves proving that the misrepresentation was not willful or that a qualifying U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident relative will suffer extreme hardship if you are not admitted.
• Section 212(a)(9)(B): unlawful presence. If you previously stayed in the United States beyond your authorized period, you may be subject to a 3-year or 10-year bar depending on the length of the overstay. This bar applies even if you departed voluntarily. A waiver (Form I-601A, if applying from outside the U.S.) is required.
• Administrative processing: the consular officer may place your case in administrative processing to conduct additional background checks, verify documents, or consult with other agencies. This is not a refusal, and it is not counted in the refusal rate statistics. Some cases in administrative processing are eventually approved; others are ultimately refused. There is no standard timeline for administrative processing — it can last weeks, months, or longer.

If your visa was refused under any section other than 214(b), consult an immigration attorney before reapplying. Refusals based on fraud, unlawful presence, criminal grounds, or public charge require legal analysis and often require waiver filings that involve USCIS, not just the consulate.

What B-1/B-2 Extensions and Changes of Status Add to the Picture

Consular refusal rates measure visa applications filed abroad. They do not include B-1/B-2 extension applications (Form I-539) or change-of-status applications filed with USCIS by individuals already in the United States. USCIS does not publish approval rates for Form I-539, so there is no official data on what percentage of extension requests are granted.

Anecdotally, extension approvals depend on whether the applicant demonstrates a legitimate reason for remaining beyond the initially authorized period (e.g., medical treatment that was delayed, a family emergency, or a business matter that took longer than anticipated), whether the applicant has maintained lawful status throughout, and whether the extended stay still aligns with the temporary visitor purpose. Extensions filed late — after the I-94 expiration date has passed — are routinely denied, and the denial places the applicant in unlawful presence, which triggers bars to future admission if the overstay exceeds 180 days.

If you entered the United States on a B-1/B-2 visa and now need more time, file Form I-539 before your current I-94 expires, include a detailed explanation of why the extension is necessary, and provide evidence that you still intend to depart (return tickets, ties to your home country, proof that the extended stay serves a temporary purpose). Filing early — at least 45 days before expiration — is strongly recommended, as USCIS processing times for I-539 can exceed the remaining validity of your status.

The Depth Behind the Refusal Rate: What Consular Officers Actually Evaluate

The statutory language of Section 214(b) is brief: the applicant must overcome the presumption of immigrant intent. The Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM 401.1), which guides consular officers, elaborates that the officer must find that the applicant's ties to the home country are stronger than any ties to the United States, and that the applicant's purpose and plans align with a temporary stay.

In practice, this means the officer weighs:

• Employment: is the applicant employed in a position that requires their return, or are they unemployed or self-employed in a way that allows indefinite absence?
• Family: does the applicant have a spouse, children, or parents in the home country who depend on the applicant's presence, or are the applicant's closest relatives in the United States?
• Property and financial assets: does the applicant own property, hold investments, or maintain accounts that tie them to the home country, or do they have minimal assets and no fixed address?
• Purpose of the trip: does the stated purpose (business meeting, tourism, medical treatment, visiting family) align with the applicant's travel history, financial means, and the duration requested, or does the purpose seem pretextual?
• Immigration history: has the applicant complied with the terms of prior visas, or is there a history of overstays, visa refusals, or inconsistent statements?

The officer is required to presume immigrant intent and place the burden on the applicant to disprove it. This is the opposite of the standard in most visa categories, where the government must prove a ground of inadmissibility. For B-1/B-2, the applicant must affirmatively prove eligibility.

Because the evaluation is discretionary and based on the totality of circumstances, two officers can weigh the same facts differently. This is why consular decisions under 214(b) are not subject to appeal — the applicant's only recourse is to reapply with stronger evidence.

What the Law Offices of Peter D. Chu Evaluates Before a B-1/B-2 Filing

The firm does not predict approval percentages or guarantee outcomes — no attorney ethically can, because the decision rests with the consular officer. What the firm does is assess whether your documented ties are strong enough to meet the 214(b) standard, whether your trip purpose aligns with B-1 or B-2 classification, and whether gaps in your evidence need to be addressed before you attend the interview.

For applicants from countries with high refusal rates, this preparation is not optional. The firm assists with gathering the right supporting documents, drafting purpose statements that avoid red flags, and coaching applicants on how to answer the officer's questions in a way that reinforces ties rather than raising doubts. For applicants previously refused, the firm evaluates what changed since the refusal and whether those changes are sufficient to overcome the prior finding.

B-1/B-2 is the most common nonimmigrant visa category and the one where self-represented applicants most often assume that showing up to the interview is enough. It is not. Officers conduct interviews that last two to five minutes and make decisions based on answers to a handful of questions combined with a quick review of documents. The margin for error is thin.

The consultation fee is $250, and the firm conducts consultations in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and French. If you are planning to apply for a B-1/B-2 visa, were refused and are considering reapplication, or need to file an extension or change of status with USCIS, an evaluation of your specific facts before you file is what determines whether your case is positioned for approval.

Legal Disclaimer

This article provides general information about B-1/B-2 visa refusal rates and the standards consular officers apply under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Peter D. Chu or any attorney. Visa outcomes depend on individual facts, the consular officer's evaluation, and the evidence presented. Consult a licensed immigration attorney to assess your specific circumstances before applying for a visa, reapplying after a refusal, or filing an extension or change of status with USCIS.

Schedule a consultation with the Law Offices of Peter D. Chu — 4615 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111 · 858-268-8823 · Mon–Fri, 8:30 AM–5:30 PM. Consultation fee: $250.