The U.S. Department of State quietly launched a pilot programme on 22 July 2026 that allows applicants at selected posts to pay US$ 750 for a non-immigrant (B-category) visa interview within 10 business days. Although the first test site is Mission Mexico, consular officials told industry stakeholders that additional locations will be added during the six-month trial. Brazil—whose three consulates routinely top global wait-time tables—has been singled out as a likely expansion market if initial security and revenue metrics prove positive. Under the scheme, travellers continue to pay the standard US$ 185 MRV fee and must already hold an appointment. The new premium option then appears in the online portal; payment must be completed within ten minutes or the slot is released. Missed interviews forfeit the fee and cannot be rescheduled. The programme offers only an earlier date; it does not accelerate post-interview processing or guarantee visa issuance. For Brazilian business travellers the impact could be significant. Average São Paulo wait times, while down to roughly two months from a pandemic-era peak of 18 months, still derail short-notice trips, project kick-offs and trade-show attendance. Companies currently spend thousands of reais flying staff to third-country consulates with shorter queues. A paid-expedite function—if rolled out to Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo—would let multinationals trade cash for certainty, easing mobility bottlenecks ahead of the 2027 Pan-American Games and surging near-shoring activity. Mobility managers should start budgeting the extra fee, updating travel-approval workflows and tracking which employees might qualify for interview waivers instead. Legal teams will also want to educate travellers on the non-refundable nature of the charge and stress that standard security vetting still applies. Importantly, companies should not cancel existing appointments until Brazil is formally added to the pilot—doing so could leave travellers without any slot if paid-expedite capacity proves limited. Industry associations have cautiously welcomed the initiative but warned that paid fast-tracks must not siphon resources from regular processing. The State Department says data collected during the pilot will shape any global rollout. If Brazil makes the list, corporate mobility teams could see the first expedited appointments as early as October 2026.
Source: U.S. Department of State
