Seven in 10 Applicants for a U.S. Student Visa from West Africa were Refused

Africans applying to study in the United States face higher rates of visa refusal than people from other regions, a report based on data from the U.S. government, UN and World Bank said. The report looked at U.S. visa refusals for applications from every continent and showed that the rate of refusal increased to more than one in two (54%) in 2022 for African students from 44% in 2015. By contrast, refusal rates were constantly under 10% in Europe and mostly under 35% elsewhere. Southern Africa, where the average refusal rate for the period reviewed is 12%, is the exception within the continent. In 2022, African students from that region had lower U.S. visa refusal rates than South American or Asian students.