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75.02% APPROVAL RATE OF US B1 VISA’S APPLIED FOR BY ST.KITTS-NEVIS CITIZENS

The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis has acehieved it’s  lowest rate of refusal of United States B-visas in almost a decade.

According to the latest US State Department statistics on REFUSAL RATE – B-VISAS ONLY BY NATIONALITY FISCAL YEAR 2018*, St Kitts and Nevis recorded it’s best rate  of refusals of United States B-visas since 2013 when the federation recorded the worst approval rate in the OECS.

St Kitts and Nevis acheived  a refusal rate of 24.98 percent for United States visas compared to to a record high rate of 30.7% in 2013. This means that the federation currently enjoys an approval rate of over 75% as compared to a less than 69% approval rate in 2013.

Over the last 4 years the refusal rate has consistently been improved or lowered. In 2014 the refusal rate stood at 27.2% followed in 2015 with an improved  refusal rate of 26.6%. In 2016 the rate of refusal was 26.31% followed in 2016 with a rate of 26.6%. In 2018 the federation acheived it’s best performance with a rate of 24.98% which is the best rate of refusal the country has acheived since the record high of 30.7% in 2013  .

According to statistics nearly 6.4 million people came to the United States on a B visa in 2017. This common visa type – B-1, for business travel; B-2, for tourism; or the combo B-1/B-2, for a bit of both – is issued for short-term travel to the US.

If you plan to attend business meetings or conferences, spend a week on vacation in Hawaii or Florida, or visit family in the US, this is the visa you’re likely to need.

Not everyone requires one, of course. Citizens of 38 countries are eligible for the ESTA visas waiver system, allowing them to by-pass ordinary visa requirements for short-term business or tourist travel. They are mostly rich nations in Europe and Asia.

But despite how common the B visa is, getting one isn’t as easy as it might appear.

Applicants must pay a fee, apply online, and then attend an in-person interview, where they’ll be grilled on what their plans are, where they’ll be going, and—crucially—when they plan to leave the US. Processing time from there can take as much as two months.

Even then, many people find their applications rejected. In fiscal year 2018—which ran from October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018—B visa applicants from around 50 countries were more likely to have their application refused than accepted.