US Visa Update: Pay $750 to Skip the Line for Interview Appointments – Who Can Apply, What’s the Process? Find out here | Today’s news
The US State Department is creating a new express pass for tourists and business travelers who are willing to pay $750 to skip the visa interview queue – but without any guarantee of securing a visa.
This “interim final rule” (TFR) is effective from July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, according to a notice published Tuesday in Federal Register.
It gives applicants a chance to move to the beginning of the appointment after paying the $750 fee.
It was stated in the document that under six-month pilot programforeign visitors will have the option of paying $750 for an “expedited B1/ B2, business and tourism, non-immigrant visa (NIV) interview date.”
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The new service is “optional premium add-on” to the standard $185 application fee and will be “offered only to applicants in limited locations…and in limited quantities,” Forbes said, citing the document.
“This new fee will allow B1/B2 visa applicants who pay the fee to secure an interview appointment at selected locations within ten working days,” the document says.
“This service will be an optional premium add-on to the standard NIV application fee and will only be offered to applicants at limited locations posted on travel.state.gov and in limited quantities,” it adds.
However, expedited processing of the visa “v no method guarantees the issuance of a visa“, the document says.
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In addition, applicants who choose to pay for an expedited appointment will continue to be subject to all standard visa eligibility and processing requirements, including any administrative processing deemed necessary.
“This service will not expedite any processing steps, including the time required for administrative processing,” the US State Department said.
Pilot program: How a visa applicant can apply for premium service
According to the document, the Office of Consular Affairs will control which embassies and consulates can offer this service. The MRV fee was last updated in May 2023 and is currently set at $185 for B1/B2 applicants.
Individuals seeking an expedited appointment who pay the $750 fee will continue to pay the MRV fee, he added.
Designated consular departments will make a limited number of expedited appointments available, depending on the capacity of the embassies and consulates.
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The appointment selection process occurs after the applicant submits a completed DS–160 visa application through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) and pays their MRV fee.
B1/B2 visa applicant in places where paid express service is offered, yes schedule a traditional (non-expedited) appointment first.
“If the applicant then wishes to schedule an earlier (expedited) appointment, they will indicate when they see available expedited appointments within the next ten business days,” the document explains.
If the applicant chooses one of these appointments, a A 5-10 minute break will be placed in the meeting while he or she pays a $750 expedited fee.
If the applicant does not pay the fee within this period, he or she will lose the block and the expedited appointment will be reopened to other applicants, the document said.
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However, there is no guarantee that expedited appointments will be available to all interested applicants “as the Consular Section will only make a limited number of expedited appointments available,” it clarified.
Applicants will only see expedited appointments available for booking if such appointments are available.
What happens after your selection?
When selecting an expedited appointment, applicants will be asked to pay an expedited fee online before the appointment is confirmed.
Failure to pay the expedited fee within this time will result in the applicant not being scheduled for an expedited appointment and returning to the original non-expedited appointment instead.
Bidder forfeits expedited appointment fee if chooses an expedited appointment and either does not show up for the appointment or cancels the appointment.
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This TFR (Interim Final Rule) temporarily amends the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (Schedule), 22 CFR 22.1, “to establish a fee of $750 for a new service to allow B1/B2 NIV Business and Tourism applicants to obtain an expedited interview appointment, within 10 business days of payment of the NIV fee in accordance with applicable appointment site instructions, expedited availability at the site of the appointment selected.”
The U.S. Department of Health said that after a review, it determined that the demand for expedited NIV appointments warrants the pilot of a new expedited NIV appointment program.
“Once the pilot project is complete, the ministry will analyze the data from the pilot project and decide whether to continue to offer this service in some form, and based on the results, adjust the fee as necessary…,” the document said.
