US visa update: Pay $750 and skip the queue for interview appointments — who can apply, what's the process? Know here
This "temporary final rule" (TFR) is effective July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, according to a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register.It gives applicants a chance to move to the front of the appointment line by paying a $750 fee.The document stated that under the six-month pilot program, foreign visitors will have the option of paying $750 for “an expedited B1/ B2, business and tourism, non-immigrant visa (NIV) interview appointment."The new service is “an optional premium addition” to the $185 standard application fee and will be “offered only to applicants at limited posts...and in limited quantities," Forbes reported while citing the document."This new fee will allow B1/B2 visa applicants who pay the fee to secure an interview appointment at selected posts within ten business days," the document states."This service will be an optional premium addition to the standard NIV application fee and will be offered only to applicants at limited posts as published on travel.state.gov and in limited quantities," it adds.However, an expedited visa appointment "in no way guarantees visa issuance," the document says.Moreover, applicants who opt to pay for an expedited appointment will still 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 any time needed for administrative processing," the US Department of State said.The pilot program: How can a visa applicant apply for the premium serviceAs per the document, the Bureau 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, it added.Designated consular sections will make limited amounts of expedited appointments available based on the embassy and consulates’ capacity.The appointment selection process occurs after the applicant has submitted a completed DS–160 visa application through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) and paid his or her MRV fee.An applicant for B1/B2 visas at posts where the paid expedite service is offered will first schedule a traditional (non-expedited) appointment."If the applicant then wishes to schedule an earlier (expedited) appointment, he or she will so indicate, at which point, he or she will see the available expedited appointments within the next ten business days," the document explains.If the applicant chooses one of these appointments, a 5–10-minute hold will be placed on the appointment while he or she pays the $750 expedite fee.If the applicant fails to pay the fee within this time, he or she will lose the hold, and the expedited appointment will be reopened to other applicants, the document says.But there is no guarantee that expedited appointments will be available to all interested applicants, "as consular sections 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?Upon selecting an expedited appointment, applicants will be required to pay the expedited fee online before the appointment is confirmed.Failure to pay the expedited fee at that time will result in the applicant not being scheduled for the expedited appointment, reverting instead to the original, non-expedited appointment.An applicant forfeits the expedited appointment fee if he/she selects an expedited appointment and either does not attend his or her appointment or cancels his or her appointment.This TFR (temporary final rule) tempo
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