Nationalities › New Zealand
New Zealand · Oceania
U.S. visas issued to nationals of New Zealand
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.
In September 2025, 407 nonimmigrant visas were issued to nationals of New Zealand, the 93rd largest count among 203 nationalities that month; that is down 18% on September 2024 (496).
For the full fiscal year the Department's Report of the Visa Office lists 8,713 nonimmigrant visas issued to nationals of New Zealand in FY2024, 0.1% of the 10,969,936 issued worldwide and the 94th largest nationality of 197. The previous year's figure was 9,206 (FY2023).
The largest classes in September 2025 were B1/B2 (temporary visitor for business and pleasure) with 103, A2 (other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family) with 83 and C1/D (combined transit and crewmember visa) with 37. 19 immigrant visas were issued to applicants chargeable to New Zealand in the same month, led by DV (9) and IR1 (5).
The Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (visitor) visa applicants who are nationals of New Zealand was 21.94% in FY2025, below the Oceania median of 28.49%; it was 22.79% 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, 229 entrants chargeable to New Zealand were selected for DV-2026, 0.2% of all selectees that year; the count was 302 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.
The U.S. post in New Zealand (Auckland) issued 506 nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, to applicants of all nationalities.
Nonimmigrant issuances by month
Compared with the Oceania region and the world
| Measure | New Zealand | Oceania (14 nationalities) | All nationalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | 8,713 | 55,765 | 10,969,936 |
| Median nationality, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | — | 247 | 7,901 |
| Nonimmigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 407 | 3,138 | 823,557 |
| Change on Sep 2024 | -18% | — | -11% |
| Immigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 19 | — | 45,966 |
| B-visa adjusted refusal rate, FY2025 | 21.94% | 28.49% | 31.28% |
| DV-2026 selectees | 229 | — | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 2,252 | 25.8% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 1,559 | 17.9% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 944 | 10.8% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 865 | 9.9% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 661 | 7.6% |
| C3 | Foreign government official, immediate family, attendant, servant or personal employee, in transit | 367 | 4.2% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 238 | 2.7% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 219 | 2.5% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 191 | 2.2% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 181 | 2.1% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 166 | 1.9% |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 141 | 1.6% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 100 | 1.1% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 93 | 1.1% |
| H2A | Temporary worker performing agricultural services | 76 | 0.9% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 71 | 0.8% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 64 | 0.7% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 63 | 0.7% |
| E3D | Spouse or child of Australian specialty occupation professional | 61 | 0.7% |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 50 | 0.6% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 47 | 0.5% |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 41 | 0.5% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 36 | 0.4% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 30 | 0.3% |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 27 | 0.3% |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 26 | 0.3% |
| P4 | Spouse or child of P-1, P-2, or P-3 | 23 | 0.3% |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 20 | 0.2% |
| P3 | Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program | 20 | 0.2% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 17 | 0.2% |
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 | 103 | 25.3% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 83 | 20.4% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 37 | 9.1% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 27 | 6.6% |
| C3 | Foreign government official, immediate family, attendant, servant or personal employee, in transit | 25 | 6.1% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 14 | 3.4% |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 12 | 2.9% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 10 | 2.5% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 10 | 2.5% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 10 | 2.5% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 8 | 2% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 8 | 2% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 8 | 2% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 7 | 1.7% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 7 | 1.7% |
| E3D | Spouse or child of Australian specialty occupation professional | 6 | 1.5% |
| H2B | Temporary worker performing other services | 5 | 1.2% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 4 | 1% |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 4 | 1% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 3 | 0.7% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 3 | 0.7% |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 3 | 0.7% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 2 | 0.5% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 2 | 0.5% |
| TD | Spouse or child of TN | 2 | 0.5% |
| C1 | Alien in transit | 1 | 0.2% |
| E1 | Treaty trader, spouse or child | 1 | 0.2% |
| H2A | Temporary worker performing agricultural services | 1 | 0.2% |
| P4 | Spouse or child of P-1, P-2, or P-3 | 1 | 0.2% |
Immigrant visa classes, September 2025 (foreign state of chargeability)
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| DV | Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 9 | 47.4% |
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 5 | 26.3% |
| F3 | Family third preference: married son or daughter of U.S. citizen, spouse and child (F31, F32, F33, C31-C33, B31-B33) | 2 | 10.5% |
| F4 | Family fourth preference: brother or sister of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age, spouse and child (F41, F42, F43) | 2 | 10.5% |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 1 | 5.3% |
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 | 9,809 | 2,742 | 2,833 | 1,676 | — |
| FY2016 | 11,405 | 3,730 | 2,882 | 1,720 | +16% |
| FY2017 | 10,007 | 3,032 | 2,839 | 1,559 | -12% |
| FY2018 | 9,889 | 2,669 | 2,882 | 1,598 | -1% |
| FY2019 | 10,268 | 3,210 | 2,853 | 1,690 | +4% |
| FY2020 | 5,324 | 1,705 | 1,198 | 956 | -48% |
| FY2021 | 2,840 | 664 | 783 | 638 | -47% |
| FY2022 | 6,237 | 1,492 | 1,297 | 1,232 | +120% |
| FY2023 | 9,206 | 2,471 | 2,061 | 1,599 | +48% |
| FY2024 | 8,713 | 2,271 | 2,326 | 1,729 | -5% |
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: New Zealand. Grey bar: Oceania 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 New Zealand | Share of all selectees | All selectees |
|---|---|---|---|
| DV-2016 | 208 | 0.2% | 91,563 |
| DV-2017 | 213 | 0.3% | 83,910 |
| DV-2018 | 546 | 0.5% | 115,968 |
| DV-2019 | 242 | 0.3% | 87,610 |
| DV-2020 | 181 | 0.2% | 83,884 |
| DV-2021 | 360 | 0.3% | 132,404 |
| DV-2022 | 248 | 0.2% | 119,021 |
| DV-2023 | 173 | 0.1% | 119,262 |
| DV-2024 | 256 | 0.2% | 142,947 |
| DV-2025 | 302 | 0.2% | 131,060 |
| DV-2026 | 229 | 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 New Zealand
- Auckland: 506 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 New Zealand?
The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (business and tourist) visas was 21.94% in FY2025 against a Oceania median of 28.49%. 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 New Zealand last year?
8,713 nonimmigrant visas in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office, the Department's final annual figure. In September 2025, the latest monthly report, 407 were issued.
How does September 2025 compare with a year earlier for New Zealand?
407 nonimmigrant visas, down 18% on September 2024 (496). Months are compared one to one; the Department says its monthly reports should not be added together.
Which visa classes do nationals of New Zealand receive most?
B1/B2 (2,252), J1 (1,559), A2 (944), C1/D (865) and F1 (661) in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office.
How many DV lottery selectees did New Zealand have?
229 for DV-2026, 0.2% of all selectees. Earlier years: DV-2022 248, DV-2023 173, DV-2024 256, DV-2025 302. Being selected is not a visa; the Department selects more entrants than there are visas available.
Where do nationals of New Zealand apply?
Auckland is the U.S. post in New Zealand. 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.