Visa refusal rates for Japan: Schengen countries (2025), easiest and hardest, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada

Updated on 31 October 2026 · Data: European Commission, 2025

How many Schengen visa applications made in Japan were not issued in 2025, country by country and consulate by consulate, with the easiest and hardest countries for applicants from Japan, and how many UK study and work visa applications by nationals of Japan were refused, with the latest figures for Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Official figures only.

Key figures

• In 2025, 16,369 Schengen visa applications were made in Japan.
• In 2025, 5.8% of Schengen visa decisions on applications made in Japan were "not issued": 920 of 15,945 decisions.
• Schengen countries issued 15,017 uniform visas on applications made in Japan in 2025.
• The 2025 not-issued rate in Japan was 0.4 percentage points higher than in 2024, when it was 5.3%.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); calendar year 2025, compared with 2024. Not-issued rate = visas not issued ÷ (uniform visas issued + visas with limited territorial validity + visas not issued). © European Union; reuse allowed under CC BY 4.0 (Commission legal notice, Decision 2011/833/EU, checked on 31 October 2026). Download these figures (CSV), CC BY 4.0.

Visa refusal ratesJapan

Schengen visas · applications made in Japan · 2025: 5.8% not issued (920 of 15,945 decisions)

16,369applications

15,017uniform visas issued

920not issued

+0.4 ptschange on 2024 (5.3%)

Easiest Schengen visa from Japan, by the numbers: the lowest not-issued rate among Schengen countries with at least 500 decisions was Austria (0.4%); the highest was Germany (11.7%). Of the 74 countries with the most applications, Japan ranks 14 (1 = lowest rate). Multiple-entry visas: 33.3% of uniform visas issued in 2025 (by country).

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

United Kingdom · nationals of Japan · July 2025 to June 20260.8% of study visa decisions refused (details)

0.8%work visas refused · 4,986 decisions

Source: Home Office, entry clearance visa outcomes, published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026

Australia, New Zealand and Canada · by citizenship: Latest official full-year figures for nationals of this country

2.2%Australia student visas refused · 2025-26 · 4,433 decisions

0.9%New Zealand student visas declined · 2025/26 · 3,141 decisions

90.9%Canada temporary resident applications approved · 2025 · 16,725 processed

Sources: Home Affairs BP0015 (to 30 September 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU); Immigration New Zealand (to 30 September 2026, CC BY 3.0 NZ); IRCC (2025, Open Government Licence – Canada); downloaded on 26 October 2026. Details and definitions below.

Statistics, not advice. These are official figures for all applications made in a past period. They cannot predict the decision on your application, and a lower rate does not make a visa easier for you: you must apply to the Schengen country where you will spend the most time (or, for equal stays, the one you enter first), at the consulate responsible for the place where you legally live. Always follow the consulate's official requirements.

Schengen visa rejection rate by country, applications made in Japan

Tap a column heading to sort. "Not issued" includes refusals and applications whose examination was discontinued. * Fewer than 100 decisions: the rate can swing a lot.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Easiest Schengen visa from Japan: lowest and highest refusal rates (2025)

Which Schengen country has the lowest rejection rate for applicants from Japan? Among the 7 Schengen countries that decided at least 500 applications made in Japan in 2025, Austria had the lowest not-issued rate (0.4%) and Germany the highest (11.7%). Smaller numbers move too much from year to year to compare. These rates describe past decisions, not your chances.

A lower rate is not a guarantee, and you cannot choose freely. Each rate mixes different travellers, purposes and documents. You must apply to the country of your main destination: the rule is on the European Commission page on applying for a Schengen visa (checked on 15 October 2026). Applying to a country you do not plan to visit mainly can itself lead to a refusal.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Multiple-entry Schengen visas issued in Japan (2025)

Multiple-entry visasJapan · 2025

Schengen visas issued in Japan · 2025: 33.3% were multiple-entry visas (5,000 of 15,017 uniform visas issued)

36.8%in 2024

−3.5 ptschange on 2024

Italyhighest share: 99.9%

Spainlowest share: 2.1%

Among the 7 Schengen countries that issued at least 500 visas in Japan in 2025, Italy gave the highest share of multiple-entry visas (99.9%) and Spain the lowest (2.1%). All Schengen visas issued worldwide in 2025: 51.7% multiple-entry. Multiple-entry Schengen visas by country and by place of application.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Schengen countries that issued at least 500 uniform visas in Japan in 2025, from the highest share of multiple-entry visas. Tap a column heading to sort. "Change" is in percentage points; * fewer than 500 visas issued in 2024. Not shown (fewer than 500 visas issued): Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

What this share means, and what it does not. A multiple-entry visa "allows several visits to the Schengen area for as long as the visa is valid"; a single-entry visa allows one entry (European Commission, checked on 30 October 2026). Every visit is still a short stay, of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A multiple-entry visa is not a long-stay visa, a work permit or a residence permit. The Commission's file only says whether each visa allows multiple entries: it does not say how long the visas were valid for. The share describes visas issued in the past, not your chances: the consulate decides the number of entries and the validity of each visa.

By consulate

Each Schengen country's consulates (or visa sections) in Japan, by number of applications in 2025. Where a country is represented by another, the applications appear under the country that decided them.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

UK visa refusal rate for nationals of Japan: study and work visas

From July 2025 to June 2026, the UK refused 0.8% of study visa decisions for nationals of Japan (22 refused out of 2,618). 0.8% of work visa decisions were refused (4,986 decisions). Unlike the Schengen figures, the UK counts applicants by nationality, wherever they apply. With only 2,618 study visa decisions, read this rate with care: a few refusals move it a lot.

Source: Home Office, Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending June 2026 (XLSX, published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026; next update 26 November 2026). Refusal rate = refused ÷ (granted + refused), as in the Home Office grant rate; withdrawn and lapsed applications are excluded. Figures from 2026 Q1 are provisional.

Study visas, quarter by quarter

1. 0.6%Q3
   2024 1,907 decisions
2. 3.7%Q4
   2024 109 decisions
3. 0.5%Q1
   2025 196 decisions
4. 0.5%Q2
   2025 570 decisions
5. 0.5%Q3
   2025 1,875 decisions
6. 3.5%Q4
   2025 113 decisions
7. 2.6%Q1
   2026 189 decisions
8. 0.9%Q2
   2026 441 decisions

Source: Home Office, same file as above (published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Each bar is the share of study visa decisions taken in that quarter that were refusals; 2026 figures are provisional.

Study and work visas, quarter by quarter

Source: Home Office, Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending June 2026 (XLSX, published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026). "Study" is the Home Office group for sponsored study (Student, Child Student) and short-term study visas; "Work" groups all work routes (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, temporary and seasonal work, Global Business Mobility, talent and business visas, and their dependants). * Fewer than 100 decisions; 2026 figures are provisional.

Australia student visa refusal rate for nationals of Japan (2025-26)

In the Australian financial year 2025-26 (July 2025 to June 2026), Australia refused 2.2% of student visa decisions for primary applicants who are nationals of Japan and applied from outside Australia (96 refused out of 4,433). In 2024-25: 1.5% (+0.6 pts). From July to September 2026: 5.8% (31 of 537 decisions). Like the UK, Australia counts applicants by citizenship, wherever they apply.

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates (XLSX on data.gov.au, decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026), licensed under CC BY 2.5 AU. Student visas (subclass 500); refusal rate = refused ÷ (granted + refused), the complement of the Department's grant rate. The Department says the figures are provisional and is not responsible for our analysis. * Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100.

Student visas by education sector (primary applicants outside Australia)

Source: Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). * Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100. Not shown (fewer than 100 decisions in 2025-26): Postgraduate research, Foreign Affairs or Defence.

Month by month (primary applicants outside Australia)

1. 2%Oct
   2025 263 decisions
2. 1%Nov
   2025 477 decisions
3. 1%Dec
   2025 691 decisions
4. 2%Jan
   2026 473 decisions
5. 1%Feb
   2026 337 decisions
6. 4%Mar
   2026 258 decisions
7. 2%Apr
   2026 244 decisions
8. 4%May
   2026 273 decisions
9. 1%Jun
   2026 840 decisions
10. 3%Jul
    2026 281 decisions
11. 5%Aug
    2026 126 decisions
12. 12%Sep
    2026 130 decisions

Source: Home Affairs BP0015, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). Each bar is the share of decisions in that month that were refusals; monthly figures can be small and move a lot.

Year by year

Source: Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). Financial years run from July to June.

All nationalities, by sector and month: Australia student visa refusal rate by nationality.

New Zealand visa decline rate for nationals of Japan (2025/26)

In the New Zealand financial year 2025/26 (July 2025 to June 2026), Immigration New Zealand declined 0.9% of student visa applications from nationals of Japan (29 declined out of 3,141 decided); 1.8% of work visa applications (4,930 decisions). INZ counts applications by the country that issued the passport, and its "declined" figure includes applications that were withdrawn, so these rates are not directly comparable with the UK or Australian refusal rates.

Source: Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Visitors Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision; Student Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision; Work Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision (PDF, prepared 8 October 2026, decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Crown copyright, licensed under CC BY 3.0 NZ (copyright notice). Decline rate = declined ÷ (approved + declined), applications; INZ counts withdrawn applications as declined. Financial years run from July to June.

New Zealand, year by year

Source: Immigration New Zealand statistics, same PDFs as above (prepared 8 October 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, Crown copyright, CC BY 3.0 NZ). Declined includes withdrawn applications.

* Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100. All nationalities: New Zealand visa decline rate by nationality.

Canada: temporary resident applications from Japan approved (2025)

In 2025, IRCC approved 90.9% of the temporary resident applications from Japan that it processed (15,210 approved out of 16,725 people). This share mixes visitor visas, study permits and work permits, first applications and extensions; "processed" includes applications refused and withdrawn, so the other 9.1% were refused or withdrawn. In 2024: 91.4%. January to August 2026: 90.3% (13,615 processed).

No study permit or visitor visa refusal rate. For each country IRCC publishes only the number of new study permit applications processed (3,775 from Japan in 2025) and the number of visitor visas approved (100), never both for the same visa, so a study permit or visitor visa refusal rate cannot be calculated from the official files.

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Operational Processing – Monthly IRCC Updates: temporary resident applications processed, temporary resident applications approved, new study permit applications processed, visitor visas (V-1) approved (XLSX, data as of September 1, 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. IRCC rounds counts to the nearest 5 and does not publish counts from 1 to 4; the data are operational and subject to change.

Approved share, month by month (all temporary resident applications)

1. 86%Sep
   2025 885 processed
2. 90%Oct
   2025 815 processed
3. 71%Nov
   2025 900 processed
4. 88%Dec
   2025 680 processed
5. 91%Jan
   2026 755 processed
6. 87%Feb
   2026 705 processed
7. 92%Mar
   2026 1,460 processed
8. 96%Apr
   2026 3,285 processed
9. 94%May
   2026 3,670 processed
10. 91%Jun
    2026 1,705 processed
11. 77%Jul
    2026 1,150 processed
12. 72%Aug
    2026 885 processed

Source: IRCC, same files as above (data as of September 1, 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Each bar is approved ÷ processed in that month. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

All countries: Canada temporary resident approval rate by country.

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How to read these figures

• Where you apply, not your passport. The Schengen figures count applications made in Japan, including residents of other nationalities, and leave out nationals of Japan who applied elsewhere.
• Not-issued rate = visas not issued ÷ (uniform visas issued + visas with limited territorial validity + visas not issued), the formula in the Commission's file. Applications still pending at the end of the year are not counted.
• If you are refused, the consulate must tell you why and how to appeal (European Commission).
• Australia, New Zealand and Canada count applicants by citizenship (Canada: "source country"), like the UK, and each authority defines its rate differently: see the notes under each table.
• Full method: how we calculate the rates.

Other countries where people apply

Schengen visa refusal rates by country, 2025 · Multiple-entry Schengen visas by country · UK visa refusal rates by nationality · Australia · New Zealand · Canada · Visa income calculator