Fiscal Year 2012 Visitor (B1/B2) Visa Denial Rates

The Department of State (“DOS”) routinely publishes the denial rate for B-1/B-2 visitor visas for each fiscal year (October 1 to September 30).    The fiscal year (FY) 2012 data has been published and we share it with our clients and readers.

It is interesting to note the countries with the highest and lowest denial rates.    Andorra has a 100% denial rate, although we suspect that due to its small size, the actual number of applications may be really small and thus skewing the denial rate.    Other countries with high denial rates are Bhutan (52%), Djibouti (65%), Haiti (54%), Laos (60%), Mauritania (54%), Monaco (57%), Senegal (67%), Somalia (61%), Gambia (73%).

Among the countries with the lowest visitor visa denial rates are Argentina (1.5%),  Chile (2.8%), Croatia (4.4%), Cyprus (1.9%), Hong Kong (1.7%), Qatar (1.2%),  South Africa (2.9%), Uruguay (2.7%).

We recognize that the value in these statistics is not so great for visa applicants since each visa application is reviewed on its own merits and each case is unique.    However, the data is also helpful in noting the denial rates for countries who are hoping to become beneficiaries of the visa waiver program designation (one of the criteria is consistently low denial rate of visitor visas).

Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help you.  Also, please visit us again or subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to ensure that you obtain this and related immigration-related news and announcements.

By | Last Updated: May 20th, 2017| Categories: Articles, News, Visa Processing, Visa Waiver|

About the Author: Dimo Michailov

Dimo Michailov
Dimo has over 15 years of experience in US immigration including employment-based immigration benefits, corporate compliance and family based immigration. He represents corporate and individual clients in a wide range of cross-border immigration matters including mobility of key foreign executives and managers, specialized knowledge workers, and foreign nationals with extraordinary ability.

The Capitol Immigration Law Group has been serving the business community for over 15 years and is one of the most widely respected immigration law firms focused solely on U.S. employment-based immigration.   Disclaimer:  we make all efforts to provide timely and accurate information; however, the information in this article may become outdated or may not be applicable to a specific set of facts.  It is not to be construed as legal advice.