Department of State Releases 2019 Visa Refusal Statistics – and They Ain’t Pretty

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Visa refusals continue to skyrocket under the Trump Administration – and it doesn’t seem to matter whether the applicants are from countries considered “friends” or “foes” of the United States.  While the refusal rates for some countries, such as Vietnam, Philippines and Pakistan, have remained relatively stable, other countries have seen a significant jump.  Brazil, Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and China have each seen increases of more than 25% over the past two years, with India and Mexico not far behind.  Below are the visa refusal statistics for B visas for fiscal years 2017-2019.

Country

% of B Visa Applicants Refused in FY-2017 % of B Visa Applicants Refused in FY-2018 % of B Visa Applicants Refused in FY-2019 % Increase from FY-2017 to FY-2019
Brazil 12.34 12.73 18.48 49.75
China 14.57 17 18.22 25.05
India 23.29 26.07 27.75 19.14
Mexico 22.5 24.93 26.66 18.48
Nigeria 44.95 57.47 67.20 49.49
Pakistan 49.4 47.89 48.26
Philippines 25.54 27.07 24.40
Russia 11.61 14.89 15.19 30.83
Turkey 17.86 17.49 19.19 7.44
Ukraine 34.54 40.97 45.06 30.45
Uzbekistan 50.29 61.76 68.06 35.33
Vietnam 24.06 26.2 23.70