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U.S. visas issued to nationals of France
The reports below contain preliminary data which are subject to change. Beginning with FY 2020, individual monthly issuance reports should not be aggregated, as this will not provide an accurate issuance total for the fiscal year to date. Instead, refer to our annual Report of the Visa Office for final full Fiscal Year statistics.
Nationals of France were issued 3,795 U.S. nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, close to September 2024 (3,484, +9%), the 32nd largest nationality of 203 in the month's table.
For the full fiscal year the Department's Report of the Visa Office lists 53,420 nonimmigrant visas issued to nationals of France in FY2024, 0.5% of the 10,969,936 issued worldwide and the 34th largest nationality of 197. The previous year's figure was 51,140 (FY2023).
The largest classes in September 2025 were B1/B2 (temporary visitor for business and pleasure) with 913, J1 (exchange visitor) with 762 and F1 (student in an academic or language training program) with 385. 49 immigrant visas were issued to applicants chargeable to France in the same month, led by IR1 (15) and CR1 (6).
The Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (visitor) visa applicants who are nationals of France was 9.67% in FY2025, below the Europe median of 15.20%; it was 8.50% in FY2024. The rate covers B visas only and is the Department's own calculation, counting each applicant once by their final status in the year.
In the Diversity Visa program, 309 entrants chargeable to France were selected for DV-2026, 0.2% of all selectees that year; the count was 275 for DV-2025. Selection is not a visa; the Department's pages explain that selectees must still qualify and that more are selected than there are visas.
2 U.S. posts in France (Marseille and Paris) issued 5,413 nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, to applicants of all nationalities.
Nonimmigrant issuances by month
Compared with the Europe region and the world
| Measure | France | Europe (55 nationalities) | All nationalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | 53,420 | 1,012,314 | 10,969,936 |
| Median nationality, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | — | 8,239 | 7,901 |
| Nonimmigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 3,795 | 68,373 | 823,557 |
| Change on Sep 2024 | +9% | — | -11% |
| Immigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 49 | — | 45,966 |
| B-visa adjusted refusal rate, FY2025 | 9.67% | 15.20% | 31.28% |
| DV-2026 selectees | 309 | — | 129,516 |
Fiscal-year rows are the Department's Report of the Visa Office tables; monthly rows are the September 2025 report alone. Region and world refusal figures are medians across the nationalities listed in the Department's table for that year; regions follow the Report of the Visa Office grouping.
Visa classes, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued, FY2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 11,781 | 22.1% |
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 10,380 | 19.4% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 7,553 | 14.1% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 4,490 | 8.4% |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,574 | 6.7% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 3,263 | 6.1% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 3,113 | 5.8% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 974 | 1.8% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 896 | 1.7% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 837 | 1.6% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 816 | 1.5% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 719 | 1.3% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 706 | 1.3% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 690 | 1.3% |
| NATO2 | Other representative of member state to NATO and immediate family; dependents of member of a force entering under the NATO agreements; members of such a force if issued visas | 589 | 1.1% |
| Q1 | Participant in an international cultural exchange program | 475 | 0.9% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 366 | 0.7% |
| E1 | Treaty trader, spouse or child | 253 | 0.5% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 221 | 0.4% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 217 | 0.4% |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 209 | 0.4% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 189 | 0.4% |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 166 | 0.3% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 156 | 0.3% |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 122 | 0.2% |
| P3 | Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program | 95 | 0.2% |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 92 | 0.2% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 88 | 0.2% |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 87 | 0.2% |
| G3 | Representative of nonrecognized or nonmember foreign government to international organization, and immediate family | 41 | 0.1% |
From the Department's annual NIV detail table (nationality by class). Older symbol spellings in the table (B-1,2; H-1B) are shown in the current form.
Visa classes, September 2025
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 913 | 24.1% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 762 | 20.1% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 385 | 10.1% |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 314 | 8.3% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 238 | 6.3% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 231 | 6.1% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 155 | 4.1% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 132 | 3.5% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 87 | 2.3% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 78 | 2.1% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 75 | 2% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 61 | 1.6% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 59 | 1.6% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 41 | 1.1% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 41 | 1.1% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 32 | 0.8% |
| C3 | Foreign government official, immediate family, attendant, servant or personal employee, in transit | 29 | 0.8% |
| Q1 | Participant in an international cultural exchange program | 29 | 0.8% |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 26 | 0.7% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 20 | 0.5% |
| NATO2 | Other representative of member state to NATO and immediate family; dependents of member of a force entering under the NATO agreements; members of such a force if issued visas | 14 | 0.4% |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 13 | 0.3% |
| E1 | Treaty trader, spouse or child | 9 | 0.2% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 8 | 0.2% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 5 | 0.1% |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 5 | 0.1% |
| NATO4 | Official of NATO (other than those classifiable as NATO-1), and immediate family | 5 | 0.1% |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 4 | 0.1% |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 3 | 0.1% |
| G3 | Representative of nonrecognized or nonmember foreign government to international organization, and immediate family | 3 | 0.1% |
Immigrant visa classes, September 2025 (foreign state of chargeability)
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 15 | 30.6% |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 6 | 12.2% |
| DV | Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 4 | 8.2% |
| E1 | Employment first preference (priority workers): person with extraordinary ability, outstanding professor or researcher, multinational executive or manager, spouse and child (E11-E15) | 4 | 8.2% |
| IR2 | Child of U.S. citizen | 4 | 8.2% |
| SB1 | Returning resident | 4 | 8.2% |
| F4 | Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age, spouse and child (F41, F42, F43) | 3 | 6.1% |
| F1 | Family first preference: unmarried son or daughter of U.S. citizen, and child (F11, F12, B11, B12) | 2 | 4.1% |
| F2B | Family second preference (2B): unmarried son or daughter of lawful permanent resident, and child (F24, F25, C24, C25, B24, B25) | 2 | 4.1% |
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 2 | 4.1% |
| E3 | Employment third preference: skilled worker or professional holding baccalaureate degree, spouse and child (E31, E32, E34, E35) | 1 | 2% |
| F2A | Family second preference (2A): spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (F21, F22, F23, C21-C23, B21-B23) | 1 | 2% |
| I5 | Investor pilot program (regional center) in targeted area, spouse and child (I51-I53) | 1 | 2% |
Nonimmigrant issuances by fiscal year, Report of the Visa Office
| Fiscal year | All classes | Visitors (B) | Students, exchange (F, M, J) | Temporary workers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | 48,378 | 4,308 | 22,366 | 14,519 | — |
| FY2016 | 53,099 | 9,589 | 21,398 | 14,984 | +10% |
| FY2017 | 53,236 | 12,315 | 20,664 | 14,220 | 0% |
| FY2018 | 49,891 | 11,364 | 19,487 | 13,295 | -6% |
| FY2019 | 48,298 | 10,178 | 18,682 | 13,636 | -3% |
| FY2020 | 21,761 | 4,525 | 7,832 | 5,872 | -55% |
| FY2021 | 20,872 | 524 | 12,084 | 4,407 | -4% |
| FY2022 | 43,712 | 5,059 | 19,330 | 13,121 | +109% |
| FY2023 | 51,140 | 9,908 | 19,751 | 13,396 | +17% |
| FY2024 | 53,420 | 10,479 | 20,336 | 14,987 | +4% |
Fiscal years run October to September. Every row is the Department's final annual detail table for that year; the visitor, student and worker columns add the table's class columns within one year. No monthly reports are summed.
Adjusted B-visa refusal rate by fiscal year
Dark bar: France. Grey bar: Europe median for the same year. The Department's rate covers B visas only; it counts each applicant once, in the status in which the fiscal year ended, so an applicant refused and later issued in the same year counts as an issuance. Source tables: FY2023, FY2024, FY2025.
Diversity Visa selectees by program year
| Program year | Selectees chargeable to France | Share of all selectees | All selectees |
|---|---|---|---|
| DV-2016 | 510 | 0.6% | 91,563 |
| DV-2017 | 467 | 0.6% | 83,910 |
| DV-2018 | 649 | 0.6% | 115,968 |
| DV-2019 | 366 | 0.4% | 87,610 |
| DV-2020 | 212 | 0.3% | 83,884 |
| DV-2021 | 272 | 0.2% | 132,404 |
| DV-2022 | 205 | 0.2% | 119,021 |
| DV-2023 | 209 | 0.2% | 119,262 |
| DV-2024 | 327 | 0.2% | 142,947 |
| DV-2025 | 275 | 0.2% | 131,060 |
| DV-2026 | 309 | 0.2% | 129,516 |
Counts of selected entrants as published on the Department's "selected entrants" pages; no names are published or held. Selection is not a visa: the Department selects more entrants than visas available, and DV visas are issued only to selectees who qualify before the program year ends.
U.S. posts in France
- Marseille: 0 nonimmigrant visas issued in Sep 2025, to applicants of all nationalities
- Paris: 5,413 nonimmigrant visas issued in Sep 2025, to applicants of all nationalities
Questions and answers
What is the U.S. visa refusal rate for nationals of France?
The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (business and tourist) visas was 9.67% in FY2025 against a Europe median of 15.20%. The Department publishes this rate only for B visas and only by nationality; it counts each applicant once, by the status in which the year ended.
How many U.S. visas were issued to nationals of France last year?
53,420 nonimmigrant visas in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office, the Department's final annual figure. In September 2025, the latest monthly report, 3,795 were issued.
How does September 2025 compare with a year earlier for France?
3,795 nonimmigrant visas, close to September 2024 (3,484, +9%). Months are compared one to one; the Department says its monthly reports should not be added together.
Which visa classes do nationals of France receive most?
J1 (11,781), B1/B2 (10,380), F1 (7,553), C1/D (4,490) and E2 (3,574) in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office.
How many DV lottery selectees did France have?
309 for DV-2026, 0.2% of all selectees. Earlier years: DV-2022 205, DV-2023 209, DV-2024 327, DV-2025 275. Being selected is not a visa; the Department selects more entrants than there are visas available.
Where do nationals of France apply?
Marseille and Paris are the U.S. posts in France. Nationals may also apply at posts elsewhere, subject to each post's rules, so the nationality figures on this page and the post figures are different counts.
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by nationality, the annual Report of the Visa Office detail tables, the annual adjusted B-visa refusal rate tables and the Diversity Visa selectee pages. Data through 30 Sep 2025.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuances by Nationality and Visa Class; Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuances by Foreign State of Chargeability or Place of Birth and Visa Class; Report of the Visa Office NIV detail tables (workbook); Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality; Diversity Visa selected entrants pages. All public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.