U.S. Visitor Visa Approvals for Nepalis Remain High Under Trump, Illegal Crossings Reduced

Despite President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policies in his second term, Nepali citizens have continued to secure U.S. non-immigrant visas, particularly visitor visas (B-1/B-2), at impressive rates compared to previous months. In February 2025, 2,903 Nepalis received non-immigrant visas, with 1,838 obtaining visitor visas.

While this marks a slight decline from January’s 2,150 visitor visa approvals, it represents a significant increase compared to December 2024 (1,190) and November 2024 (1,632) under the Biden administration. The current fiscal year’s first month, October 2024, saw 1,669 Nepalis granted visitor visas, but January and February have surpassed all three Biden-era months in fiscal year 2025.

The Biden administration’s final fiscal year (2024) saw a steep rise in visitor visa refusals for Nepalis. According to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, only 50.5% of the 48,100 Nepali applicants (24,309 individuals) were granted visitor visas in 2024, with a refusal rate of 49.5%.

This was a significant drop from fiscal year 2023, when 69% of applicants (29,722 out of approximately 43,000) received visas, and only 31.3% were refused. Earlier Biden years were even more favorable, with approval rates of 80% in 2022 (18,245 out of 22,729 applicants, 19.85% refused) and a historic high of 81% in 2021 (7,128 out of 8,773, with 18.72% refused), boosted by pandemic-era interview waivers for renewals.

Under Trump’s first term (2017–2020), Nepali visa refusal rates were consistently higher. In 2020, 51.9% of approximately 15,000 applicants (7,751) received visitor visas, with a 48.1% refusal rate—the highest approval rate in the four years of that administration. Refusal rates were 50.7% in 2019, 51.5% in 2018, and 46.4% in 2017. Notably, while the approval percentage improved from 2020 to 2021, the raw number of approvals dropped due to fewer applications during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Trump’s aggressive border security measures have significantly reduced unauthorized crossings by Nepalis, with many now returning to Nepal from Mexico after failing to enter the U.S. without visas. Paying smugglers up to $100,000 to reach Mexico, numerous Nepalis have been thwarted by reinstituted policies like “Remain in Mexico,” which Trump revived on his first day in office.

Additionally, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border on January 20, 2025, as he did in 2019, deploying military personnel and ending the “catch and release” policy. This shift mandates that apprehended migrants, including Nepalis, remain in detention during immigration proceedings rather than being released in the U.S. while awaiting court dates. The termination of the CBP One program further restricts asylum seekers’ entry options.

The crackdown has left many Nepalis stranded in Mexico, prompting some to contact the Nepali Embassy in Washington, D.C., for assistance in returning home. Embassy sources report that many Nepalis, whose passports were lost in Panama en route to Mexico, requested travel documents, which were provided free of charge via email. These individuals expressed a desire to return to Nepal after failing to enter the U.S., though it remains unclear whether they have completed their journey back. The embassy continues to offer free travel documents to stranded Nepalis, addressing the plight of those caught in the tightened immigration landscape.

During Biden’s term, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recorded approximately 9,000 Nepalis entering the U.S. without visas, apprehended by Border Patrol. This was a nearly fivefold increase compared to the 1,850 Nepalis apprehended during Trump’s first four-year term (2017–2020: 650 in 2017, 720 in 2018, 340 in 2019, 140 in 2020).

Fiscal year 2024 alone saw 3,690 Nepalis apprehended, with monthly figures peaking at 610 in October 2023, 550 in November, 420 in December, and continuing through September 2024 (360). In fiscal year 2023, 3,140 Nepalis were apprehended, and from 2014 to 2022, only 5,190 were recorded over nine years, compared to 6,830 in the 24 months of fiscal years 2023–2024. Fiscal year 2025 data shows 440 apprehensions in October 2024 and 300 in November under Biden, but numbers have since dropped sharply under Trump.