Visitors and business travelers who need a U.S. visa quickly now have a new — but pricey — option. Under a temporary final rule published in the Federal Register on June 9, 2026, the U.S. Department of State has established a $750 fee for expedited B-1/B-2 nonimmigrant visa interview appointments. The pilot program took effect July 1, 2026 and runs through December 31, 2026.
The $750 charge is optional and comes on top of the standard Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee, currently $185 for B-1/B-2 applicants — bringing the total to roughly $935 for those who choose to pay for speed. In exchange, applicants at participating posts are guaranteed an interview appointment within 10 business days, a significant improvement at consulates where wait times can stretch for months.
The program is deliberately limited. The State Department says it will be offered only at a small, currently unspecified set of overseas posts and in limited quantities, with a projected capacity of about 25,000 expedited requests during the pilot. Importantly, the new fee does not replace existing no-cost expedite mechanisms: consular officers at both pilot and non-pilot posts retain discretion to expedite interviews without charge for documented humanitarian reasons or urgent travel deemed in the U.S. national interest.
Because this is a temporary final rule rather than a permanent regulation, the State Department invited public comment through July 9, 2026, and the outcome of the pilot will help determine whether the option is extended or expanded in 2027. Applicants should watch for official post-by-post announcements identifying which embassies and consulates participate, as the fast-track slots are expected to fill quickly where available.
For employment-based applicants, the change is a reminder that consular scheduling — not just petition adjudication — can be a bottleneck, and that paid expedite options are increasingly part of the U.S. immigration landscape.
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Source: Web (Federal Register / Ogletree / Greenberg Traurig)