A Chinese has a better chance of getting US visa than an Indian

India's US visa refusal rate is 26%, up 6.5% between 2006 and 2016. China's US visa refusal rate is 12.4, down 12.2% in the same period.

Does the US like the Chinese more than Indians? An Indian applying for a non-immigrant visas to enter the US is far less likely to get it than a Chinese applicant. Visa refusal rate for India is twice as much as for China. And while China's visa refusal rate has gone down in the past decade, India's rate has gone up.

India's US visa refusal rate is 26%, up 6.5% between 2006 and 2016. China's US visa refusal rate is 12.4, down 12.2% in the same period. The refusal rate reflects the US has veered towards China in the past decade. In the past decade, China opened up itself for foreign companies, attracting a large number of American and European businesses and also improving its global image in the process.

Cuba has the highest US visa refusal rate at 81.9%.

Saudi Arabia's visa refusal rate is 4%, down 7.3% in the past decade. For Israel, it is 4.1%, without any considerable change in the same period.

Among BRICS countries, South Africa has the lowest US visa refusal rate at 6.8% while India's is the highest. Rates for Brazil and Russia 16.7% and 9.35 respectively.

Applying for US travel can take months or even a year. Here is the typical process:

1. Submit the nonimmigrant visa application online.
2. Pay the application fee at a designated bank and sign up for an interview.
3. Gather documents to show that you have a stable life and are not likely to overstay your visa.

Recommended documents:

• A letter of introduction from your employer
• An invitation letter from the US
• Your passport
• Bank statements
• Anything else that might prove that you intend to return home.

The interview

n some countries, it can take up to four months to get an interview. On the appointed date, you will meet with a Foreign Service officer. The officer could deny your request, sometimes without even looking at your documents. He or she could also refer your case for a deeper review.

Your information is checked against American and foreign databases.

Officers from various US agencies will also conduct interviews and do further research into your background.

If everything checks out, a visa is issued.

At the airport, American customs officers do an additional round of behind-the-scenes screening.

Upon arrival, you are questioned by customs officers and may be screened again.

Source: U.S. State Department, Bureau of Consular Affairs, NY Times. Application denials vary by country, and applicants are typically not told why they are denied. 13 countries had a denial rate of over 60 percent in 2015. The highest rates were in African and Middle Eastern countries.

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