The U.S. Department of State quietly launched an "expedited appointment pilot program" on 22 July 2026 offering B-1/B-2 visa applicants in selected consular posts the option to pay a US $750 fee to secure an interview within ten business days. The trial will run through 31 December 2026, starting with all posts in Mission Mexico and potentially expanding to other high-demand locations. Applicants must first schedule a regular appointment and pay the standard US $185 Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fee. If an earlier slot is available, the system will display a "Paid Expedite" button; once clicked, applicants have ten minutes to complete payment or lose the slot. The fee is non-refundable—even if the visa is refused or the applicant misses the appointment. For business travelers nursing months-long wait times, the option promises greater predictability, albeit at a steep cost. Mobility managers sending staff to sales meetings or urgent plant repairs in Mexico may now bypass queues that stretch into mid-2027. Yet equity concerns loom: advocacy groups argue the fee amounts to pay-to-play access that favors cash-rich applicants and could entrench processing disparities between wealthy and lower-income travelers. Corporate travel departments should update visa-planning templates to include the fast-track fee where budgets allow and counsel executives on the one-time, non-transferable nature of the appointment. Travel insurers and risk advisers may revise coverage language to treat the US $750 charge as a reimbursable emergency expense. Observers see the pilot as a test case for wider premium-processing models in the consular space—akin to USCIS’s 15-day service for certain petitions. If revenue offsets staffing constraints without compromising security vetting, the Department may embed tiered appointment pricing permanently, reshaping how global mobility teams budget for routine U.S. trips.
Source: U.S. Department of State
