🛂 Refused or Approved

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The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This holds true even for Latin America’s relations with the United States, the region’s hemispheric neighbor and largest trade partner. While this year has brought a diplomatic rupture between Colombia and the US, or a politicized trade war between Brazil and the US, some components of the inter-American relationship remain consistent—particularly the central role played by migration and travel.

Led by Boston and Floridian hotspots like Miami and Orlando, the US remains the top destination for Brazilians traveling abroad for tourism. After Mexico, Brazil was the top recipient of visas for tourism and business in 2024 (although this is changing this year, more on that below).

Colombians and Argentinians are also among those likeliest to take their vacation time and head north to visit family or see theme parks.

But not everyone makes it in. Even before this year’s massive immigration crackdown, which has involved new social media checks and financial requirements for all visitors to the States, your chances of landing a tourist visa have long depended on your nationality.

A few things go into the calculus for the rejection rate. One is political relations and US mistrust of the home country (sorry, Cubans). Another is how likely US authorities deem it that you’ll return home—if your compatriots tend to overstay their visas, or your home country is going through a difficult time, this will hurt your chances.

It’s little wonder, then, that Uruguay, a small and stable country in Latin America, has a lower rejection rate than even highly developed countries like France and Japan.

But how do the numbers look like so far this year?

Some countries have been getting up to 66% more approvals to travel.

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