US visitor visa refusal rate for South Africans
The US refused 11.66% of visitor (B1/B2) visa applications from South Africa in FY2025, so about 88.3% were approved — rank 160 of 198 nationalities, up 4.74 points on FY2019. Source: US State Department adjusted refusal rates.
South Africa's adjusted refusal rate for US visitor (B) visas was 11.66% in FY2025. That ranks 160 of 198 nationalities — higher than 20% of countries. It rose 1.01 points from 10.65% in FY2024. Against FY2019, the last pre-pandemic year published, it is 4.74 points higher. Over the 18 published years its highest was 17.67% (FY2021) and its lowest 2.60% (FY2013). Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 48 of 49.
For context, across all nationalities in FY2024 the US refused 27.8% of B1/B2 applications and 41.0% of F-1 student applications. Those are worldwide figures — the government does not publish an F-1 refusal rate for South Africa or for any single country. Why not.
The full published history
Get told when this changes
The State Department publishes these figures once a year with no announcement, and has skipped years entirely. We check the source daily and will email you when the number for South Africa moves. No newsletter, no marketing — just the data changing.
Closest peers by current rate
The countries whose FY2025 rate sits nearest to South Africa’s, either side.
Elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa
How South Africa’s neighbours compare on the same measure.
| Country | FY2025 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Somalia | 83.52% | #3 |
| South Sudan | 76.09% | #5 |
| The Gambia | 75.29% | #6 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 75.17% | #7 |
| Senegal | 73.96% | #8 |
| Liberia | 73.01% | #9 |
| Togo | 72.02% | #10 |
| Burkina Faso | 71.25% | #11 |
Every published year
| Fiscal year | Refusal rate | Change |
|---|---|---|
| FY2006 | 5.20% | — |
| FY2007 | 5.90% | +0.70 |
| FY2008 | 4.60% | -1.30 |
| FY2009 | 3.80% | -0.80 |
| FY2010 | 4.10% | +0.30 |
| FY2011 | 4.60% | +0.50 |
| FY2012 | 2.90% | -1.70 |
| FY2013 | 2.60% | -0.30 |
| FY2014 | 2.60% | +0.00 |
| FY2015 | 5.08% | +2.48 |
| FY2016 | 6.83% | +1.75 |
| FY2019 | 6.92% | +0.09 |
| FY2020 | 7.80% | +0.88 |
| FY2021 | 17.67% | +9.87 |
| FY2022 | 9.68% | -7.99 |
| FY2023 | 11.27% | +1.59 |
| FY2024 | 10.65% | -0.62 |
| FY2025 | 11.66% | +1.01 |
FY2017 and FY2018 are absent because the State Department never published them.
Questions people ask
What is the US visa refusal rate for South Africans?
11.66% for B1/B2 visitor visas in FY2025, according to the US State Department's adjusted refusal rate, which ranks South Africa 160 of 198.
Is there a US student (F-1) visa refusal rate for South Africans?
No. The State Department publishes refusal rates by nationality only for B visitor visas. F-1 and H-1B refusal rates exist only as worldwide totals, so any country-specific student visa refusal rate is an estimate, not an official figure.
What does the adjusted refusal rate count?
Each applicant once per fiscal year at final status: refusals minus refusals later overcome, divided by issuances plus that net refusal count.
Source
US Department of State, Calculation of the Adjusted Visa Refusal Rate for Tourist and Business Travelers Under the Guidelines of the Visa Waiver Program, FY2006–FY2025. One PDF per fiscal year. Primary source ↗
The adjusted rate is (refusals − overcomes) ÷ (issuances + refusals − overcomes),
counting each applicant once per fiscal year at final status and excluding cases that required a
waiver of ineligibility. Rank, change, volatility and peer figures on this page are computed by us
from that data and are not published by the government.