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🇨🇺 Cuban citizens · 🇳🇿 New Zealand · Student

New Zealand student visa success rate for Cuban citizens

29.1% of Cuban US visitor-visa cases were approved in FY2025. New Zealand publishes no student-visa outcomes broken down by nationality, so there is no official Cuban rate for this exact route, and any site quoting a precise percentage is estimating rather than citing. For reference, 78.2% of Schengen short-stay applications lodged in Cuba were issued in 2025. What is documented is the decision itself — officers assess whether you are a genuine student who can fund and complete the course, and the single biggest lever is admission and funding. The estimator below weighs your own finances, ties, travel history and refusal record instead.

Last reviewed July 2026 per our editorial standards.

How likely is a student visa to New Zealand for Cuban citizens? Officers focus on whether you are a genuine student who can fund and complete the course. A typical applicant sees roughly 70%, and the biggest single lever is admission and funding. Published approval rates for Cuba run at 29.1% on US visitor visas in FY2025 and 78.2% on Schengen short-stay applications in 2025.

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Where Cuba sits in the official data

Two governments publish visa outcomes broken down by country. Neither predicts an individual decision, but together they show how Cuban applicants fare relative to everyone else, and which of the destinations we cover currently refuses the fewest applications from Cuba.

US visitor visas — FY2025

A 70.9% adjusted refusal rate places Cuba 189th of 199 nationalities the State Department publishes — a lower refusal rate than 5% of them. The median nationality sits at 31.8%, so Cuba is 39.1 points above it.

Schengen short-stay visas — 2025

Across all Schengen consulates in Cuba, 21.8% of short-stay applications were not issued — 80th of 127 countries with a meaningful application volume, and 6.2 points above the 15.6% median.

Schengen short-stay applications lodged in Cuba in 2025, by issuing state. All rows use the European Commission's methodology, so they are comparable with each other — the US figure is computed differently and is shown separately above.
DestinationRefusedIssuedDecided
Spain11.6%88.4%18,764
Portugal17%83%1,074
Italy34.3%65.7%5,076
France34.9%65.1%2,973
the Netherlands38.7%61.3%1,936
Germany42.9%57.1%2,551

Among Schengen states, applications lodged in Cuba were refused least often by Spain at 11.6% and most often by Germany at 42.9% — a gap of 31.3 points on a like-for-like basis. That gap reflects who applies where as much as how strictly each state decides, so it is a starting point for choosing a main destination, not a ranking of leniency. You must still apply to the state where you will spend the most nights.

Demand and outcome moved together for Cuba between 2024 and 2025. Schengen consulates there decided 37,226 short-stay applications, against 46,118 the year before — down 19.3% — while the refusal rate went from 19.6% to 21.8%. Had 2024's rate held, roughly 805 of the 37,226 applicants refused in 2025 would have been issued a visa instead.

Sources: U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality and European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates . Schengen figures are grouped by the country an application was lodged in, not by passport.

What actually moves the needle

Admission to an accredited institution

This is the heart of student decisions for New Zealand. Make it concrete and documented rather than assumed.

Clearly documented funding for tuition and living costs

Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.

A credible study plan that fits your background

Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.

Context for Cuba applicants

Published approval rates for Cuba run at 29.1% on US visitor visas in FY2025 and 78.2% on Schengen short-stay applications in 2025. Your personal profile matters far more than any nationality-level pattern, so focus on the levers above.

Avoid the common pitfall

The most frequent reason this route fails is unclear funding or a course that does not fit your profile. Address it directly and you remove the biggest doubt.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official New Zealand student visa success rate for Cuban citizens?

Not one we currently carry. We only print a rate when we hold the publisher's own figure for this nationality and this visa category, and we do not hold one for New Zealand student visas. The figure shown on this page is a modelled estimate built from published route-level data and your answers — we label it as such rather than presenting it as a government statistic. What you can act on is the documented requirement set below, which is what the decision actually turns on.

What matters most for a New Zealand student visa?

Officers focus on whether you are a genuine student who can fund and complete the course. In practice the single biggest lever is admission and funding, so make that part of your application as strong and well-documented as possible.

Does a previous visa refusal affect my chances?

Yes. A prior refusal weighs on new applications until its underlying reason is addressed. Find out exactly why you were refused, fix what caused it, and clearly show what is different this time.

Is this a guarantee of approval?

No. GetVisaOdds is an educational planning tool, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Only a consular or immigration officer can decide your application. We show approximate odds and the reasons behind them so you can prepare better.

Is my information private?

Completely. The estimate runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server or stored — there is no sign-up and nothing to leak.

Explore related visa odds

New Zealand student visa odds for other nationalities

Helpful guides

How to prove funding for a student visa → How to read visa approval and refusal rates → How to prove strong ties to your home country → How to document your finances for a visa → What to do after a visa refusal →