Skip to content
GetVisaOdds
Destinations Guides How it works Estimate my odds

🇨🇺 Cuban citizens · 🇺🇸 USA · Business

USA business visa success rate for Cuban citizens (FY2025)

29.1% of Cuban B1/B2 visitor-visa applications to the United States were approved in FY2025, the US fiscal year that ended on 30 September 2025 — the other 70.9% were refused. Approval is down from 46.6% in FY2024. The State Department publishes this on an adjusted basis, excluding refusals that were later overcome. It is a nationality-wide outcome across every US post, not a probability for your own case: it takes no account of your finances, employment, ties to Cuba, travel history or any previous refusal — which is what the consular officer actually weighs. The estimator below weighs your own finances, ties, travel history and refusal record instead.

Last reviewed August 2026 per our editorial standards. Rate: U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality .

For Cuban citizens applying, a business visa to the United States is decided mainly on whether your trip is a genuine, short business visit. Public statistics point to an approximate base approval of around 55% for this route — but your own profile can move that figure a lot in either direction. 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.

Estimate my personal odds

Estimate your personal odds

Pre-filled for this route. A few taps and it’s done — privately, in your browser.

Step 1 of 813%

Your trip

The essentials. Pre-filled if you came from a specific page.

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.

UK business visas — year to March 2026

The UK is the only government that publishes outcomes by nationality and visa type, so it is the one place a business-visa figure for Cuba actually exists. 19.9% of Cuban business applications were refused across 1,002 decisions , against 24.3% the year before. That volume makes Cuba the 84th-largest source of UK business applicants, of 110 countries with meaningful numbers. Different country, different rules — a reference point, not your odds here.

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is the USA business visa refusal rate for Cuban citizens?

70.9% in FY2025, against 53.4% in FY2024 — meaning 29.1% of decided cases ended in a visa. Share of Cuba B1/B2 visitor-visa cases refused in the US fiscal year ending 30 September 2025, on the State Department's adjusted basis: refusals that were later overcome are removed from both the numerator and the denominator, so the figure is refusals ÷ (issuances + net refusals). It covers visitor visas only and describes the nationality as a whole — it is not a probability for an individual application. Your own case is assessed on its own evidence, so use the estimator on this page rather than the average.

Where does this USA refusal-rate figure come from?

From U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality, covering FY2025. We restate the published figure without adjustment and link the source file directly, so you can check it yourself.

What matters most for a USA business visa?

Officers focus on whether your trip is a genuine, short business visit. In practice the single biggest lever is a credible invitation and ties, 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

USA business visa odds for other nationalities

Helpful guides

Refused under Section 214(b)? What it means and how to reapply → Common DS-160 mistakes and how to avoid them (2026) → How to get an earlier US visa appointment (2026) → 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 →