--- title: O-1 Visa Approval Rate: USCIS Data, FY2025 and FY2026 | Lando url: https://trylando.com/o1-visa-approval-rate description: USCIS approved 93.9% of O petitions decided in FY2025 and 91.0% so far in FY2026. RFE rates, monthly data and CSV downloads, versus H-1B and L-1. --- # O-1 Visa Approval Rate: USCIS Data, FY2025 and FY2026 USCIS approved 93.9% of O petitions decided in FY2025 and 91.0% so far in FY2026. RFE rates, monthly data and CSV downloads, versus H-1B and L-1. Page reviewed October 8, 2026. **Quick answer.** USCIS reports its own decisions on Form I-129 petitions for the O classification, which covers the O-1A, the O-1B and the O-2 for essential support staff. In fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025) it decided 31,681 such petitions and approved 29,733, or 93.9%. From October 2025 to June 2026 it decided 23,417 and approved 21,321, or 91.0%. The share of decisions that involved a Request for Evidence rose from 19.7% to 24.2%. These are USCIS figures for all O petitions together, not a prediction for any single case. of O petitions approved, FY202593.9%of O petitions approved, FY2025 approved, Oct 2025 to Jun 202691.0%approved, Oct 2025 to Jun 2026 of FY2026 decisions involved an RFE24.2%of FY2026 decisions involved an RFE ## O petitions, fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026 so far Percentages are computed from the USCIS counts: approved or denied out of petitions decided. Petitions still pending are not in the denominator. | Measure | FY2025 (Oct 2024 to Sep 2025) | FY2026 (Oct 2025 to Jun 2026) | | --- | --- | --- | | Petitions received | 33,808 | 25,722 | | Petitions decided (approved plus denied) | 31,681 | 23,417 | | Approved | 29,733 (93.9%) | 21,321 (91.0%) | | Denied | 1,948 (6.1%) | 2,096 (9.0%) | | Decisions that involved a Request for Evidence | 6,244 (19.7%) | 5,678 (24.2%) | | RFE decisions that were approvals | 4,427 (70.9%) | 3,793 (66.8%) | ## What changed between the two periods - The approved share of decided O petitions was 93.9% in fiscal year 2025 and 91.0% from October 2025 to June 2026. - Decisions that involved a Request for Evidence went from 19.7% of the total to 24.2%. - Among decisions that involved an RFE, 70.9% were approvals in fiscal year 2025 and 66.8% in fiscal year 2026 so far. An RFE is a request for more documentation, not a denial. - Monthly approval shares in the two tables below ranged from 89.7% to 91.9% in fiscal year 2026 so far. ## Fiscal year 2025 by classification The same USCIS measures for the main temporary worker classifications, October 2024 to September 2025. | Classification | Petitions received | Decided | Approved | Denied | Decisions with an RFE | RFE decisions approved | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | O (O-1 and O-2) | 33,808 | 31,681 | 93.9% | 6.1% | 19.7% | 70.9% | | P (athletes, artists, entertainers) | 11,961 | 11,424 | 93.7% | 6.3% | 17.4% | 67.6% | | H-1B | 456,724 | 415,275 | 97.9% | 2.1% | 8.5% | 86.0% | | L-1A | 26,551 | 24,539 | 91.8% | 8.2% | 24.1% | 70.6% | | L-1B | 15,861 | 13,894 | 92.3% | 7.7% | 26.2% | 74.0% | | L blanket | 1,377 | 1,333 | 98.6% | 1.4% | 22.5% | 94.7% | | TN | 17,048 | 17,241 | 94.8% | 5.2% | 13.1% | 70.6% | | R-1 | 11,045 | 10,385 | 95.0% | 5.0% | 17.8% | 77.8% | | H-2A | 30,884 | 30,615 | 98.1% | 1.9% | 9.0% | 82.4% | | H-2B | 16,448 | 16,195 | 98.3% | 1.7% | 8.6% | 86.8% | ## Fiscal year 2026 so far, by classification October 2025 to June 2026. Fiscal year 2026 ends in September 2026, so these are nine months. | Classification | Petitions received | Decided | Approved | Denied | Decisions with an RFE | RFE decisions approved | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | O (O-1 and O-2) | 25,722 | 23,417 | 91.0% | 9.0% | 24.2% | 66.8% | | P (athletes, artists, entertainers) | 7,599 | 7,203 | 91.5% | 8.5% | 19.9% | 60.5% | | H-1B | 312,830 | 278,650 | 97.0% | 3.0% | 8.5% | 81.7% | | L-1A | 20,766 | 18,553 | 91.2% | 8.8% | 25.9% | 71.2% | | L-1B | 11,296 | 10,263 | 91.3% | 8.7% | 29.4% | 74.5% | | L blanket | 998 | 990 | 98.1% | 1.9% | 22.6% | 92.9% | | TN | 12,411 | 11,349 | 94.9% | 5.1% | 13.0% | 67.7% | | R-1 | 7,963 | 6,881 | 95.9% | 4.1% | 18.2% | 83.3% | | H-2A | 27,233 | 26,425 | 98.1% | 1.9% | 7.9% | 84.5% | | H-2B | 12,832 | 12,695 | 98.7% | 1.3% | 7.1% | 89.6% | ## O petitions by month, fiscal year 2026 Counts are by the month USCIS made the decision, not the month the petition was filed. | Month | Received | Decided | Denied | Approved | Decisions with an RFE | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | October | 2,843 | 2,727 | 221 | 91.9% | 24.6% | | November | 2,397 | 2,049 | 186 | 90.9% | 26.3% | | December | 2,774 | 2,299 | 232 | 89.9% | 26.8% | | January | 2,318 | 2,490 | 230 | 90.8% | 24.1% | | February | 2,940 | 2,272 | 196 | 91.4% | 24.0% | | March | 3,180 | 2,821 | 242 | 91.4% | 23.7% | | April | 2,893 | 2,909 | 248 | 91.5% | 23.2% | | May | 3,117 | 2,865 | 233 | 91.9% | 23.0% | | June | 3,260 | 2,985 | 308 | 89.7% | 23.7% | ## O petitions by month, fiscal year 2025 | Month | Received | Decided | Denied | Approved | Decisions with an RFE | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | October | 2,671 | 2,777 | 180 | 93.5% | 20.7% | | November | 2,407 | 2,256 | 108 | 95.2% | 18.2% | | December | 2,667 | 2,208 | 120 | 94.6% | 17.8% | | January | 2,417 | 2,657 | 145 | 94.5% | 17.6% | | February | 2,548 | 2,693 | 149 | 94.5% | 18.3% | | March | 2,855 | 3,049 | 162 | 94.7% | 17.4% | | April | 2,975 | 2,792 | 163 | 94.2% | 19.2% | | May | 3,083 | 2,627 | 143 | 94.6% | 18.3% | | June | 3,099 | 2,477 | 186 | 92.5% | 20.9% | | July | 3,249 | 2,765 | 190 | 93.1% | 20.9% | | August | 2,872 | 2,646 | 173 | 93.5% | 23.2% | | September | 2,965 | 2,734 | 229 | 91.6% | 23.7% | ## What these numbers do not tell you - They cover the whole O classification: the O-1A, the O-1B and the O-2 for essential support personnel. USCIS does not split them in this report. - They include both initial petitions and extensions. Extensions are usually stronger cases, so the rate for first-time petitions can differ. - They count initial USCIS decisions only. Revocations, remands and later actions are excluded. - They describe every petitioner, whatever the quality of the evidence or who prepared it. They say little about how any one petition will be decided. - A petition decided in one month may have been filed months earlier, so monthly rows do not pair received and decided petitions. - USCIS revises these tables as its systems update. Figures here are from workbooks queried in July 2026 and checked in October 2026. ## How to cite and reuse this data The source is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, I-129 quarterly request for evidence workbooks (fiscal year 2025 quarter 4 and fiscal year 2026 quarter 3). The calculations on this page are by Lando. You may quote the figures and tables with a link to this page. The data is also available as CSV files. - [Download: petition outcomes by classification (CSV)](https://trylando.com/data/uscis-i129-petition-outcomes-fy2025-fy2026.csv) - [Download: O classification by month (CSV)](https://trylando.com/data/uscis-o-classification-monthly-fy2025-fy2026.csv) - [How many O-1 visas are issued per year?](https://trylando.com/o1-visa-statistics) - [O-1 visa requirements](https://trylando.com/o1-visa-requirements) - [What is the O-1 visa?](https://trylando.com/what-is-the-o1-visa) ## Common questions ### What is the O-1 visa approval rate? USCIS approved 93.9% of the O-classification petitions it decided in fiscal year 2025 (29,733 of 31,681) and 91.0% from October 2025 to June 2026. The O classification includes the O-1A, the O-1B and the O-2, and the figure includes extensions, so it is not a rate for first-time O-1 petitions alone. ### Does USCIS publish the O-1A and O-1B rates separately? Not in the I-129 quarterly report used here. It reports the O classification as a whole, which combines the O-1A, the O-1B and the O-2 for essential support personnel. ### How often does an O petition get a Request for Evidence? 19.7% of O petitions decided in fiscal year 2025 involved a Request for Evidence, and 24.2% from October 2025 to June 2026. An RFE asks for more documentation and is not a denial. ### Is an O-1 harder to get than an H-1B? By USCIS's own figures, the share of decided petitions that were approved was lower for the O classification (93.9% in fiscal year 2025) than for the H-1B (97.9%). The two are different tests filed by different kinds of petitioners, so the comparison does not show which visa is easier for a given person. ### Does this predict whether my petition will be approved? No. These are figures for all O petitions together. How a petition is decided depends on the evidence in it and on USCIS's judgment, and no one can guarantee a result. ### Does Lando publish its own approval rate? No. The figures on this page are USCIS's, for the whole O classification. Lando does not publish an approval rate for its own cases, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Lando is not a law firm. Petitions are prepared in coordination with licensed U.S. immigration attorneys. ## Sources - [USCIS: Immigration and Citizenship Data, I-129 quarterly request for evidence (fiscal year 2026 quarter 3)](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/i129_quarterly_request_for_evidence_fy2026_q3_v1.xlsx) - [USCIS: I-129 quarterly request for evidence (fiscal year 2025 quarter 4)](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/i129_quarterly_request_for_evidence_fy2025_q4_v1.xlsx) - [USCIS: Immigration and Citizenship Data](https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/immigration-and-citizenship-data) - [USCIS: O-1 visa, individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/o-1-visa-individuals-with-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement) Checked October 2026. Lando is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Petitions are prepared in coordination with licensed U.S. immigration attorneys. --- Lando is not a law firm. Petitions are prepared in coordination with licensed U.S. immigration attorneys. Source: https://trylando.com/o1-visa-approval-rate