What Is This New Program?
The U.S. Department of State has launched the Nonimmigrant Visa Expedited Appointment Pilot Program. It offers certain B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism) visa applicants the option to pay an additional fee for an expedited interview slot. The program is designed
as a temporary tool to manage high demand and is scheduled to run until December 31, 2026. Participation is completely voluntary, and applicants can still use the standard appointment scheduling process without paying any extra fee. The goal is to provide a path for those with urgent, but not necessarily emergency, travel needs to get an interview sooner than the standard wait times might allow.
The Cost and Process
The fee for this optional service is $750 per applicant. This is a separate charge and is paid in addition to the standard, non-refundable $185 Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee, bringing the total to $935 for those who opt in. The process isn't a direct shortcut. An applicant must first complete the regular DS-160 application form, pay the $185 MRV fee, and schedule a standard interview appointment. Only after securing a regular slot will the system show a “Paid Expedite” option, if available at that specific consulate. If chosen, the applicant typically has a very short window, sometimes as little as ten minutes, to pay the $750 and secure the earlier date. The fee is non-refundable and the appointment cannot be rescheduled.
The Crucial Detail: Not in India (Yet)
Despite the significant interest from Indian applicants facing long queues, this pilot program is not currently active in India. This means applicants using the U.S. consular posts in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, or Kolkata cannot use the $750 expedited option at this time. The program is being tested only at select U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. While the State Department has indicated that additional locations may be added during the pilot period, there has been no official confirmation about if or when Indian posts will be included. For now, the system remains unavailable to applicants within India.
Where Is the Program Available?
The initial rollout and expansion of the expedited appointment pilot have focused primarily on locations in the Western Hemisphere. As of August 2026, participating posts include all U.S. embassies and consulates in Canada and Mexico. The service is also being offered at U.S. embassies in Bogotá, Colombia; Guatemala City, Guatemala; San José, Costa Rica; and Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The selection of these posts is likely based on specific operational capacities and regional demand patterns identified by the State Department. The exclusion of India, one of the largest sources of B-1/B-2 visa applications, is notable and highlights the limited, experimental nature of the current pilot.
What This Means for Indian Applicants
For the time being, Indian citizens applying for B-1/B-2 visas must continue to use the established procedures. This involves booking appointments through the standard online portal and waiting for the next available slot. Applicants with genuine, documented emergencies—such as for urgent medical treatment or to attend a funeral of an immediate family member—can still request an emergency appointment free of charge. Additionally, the Interview Waiver Program, often called the “Dropbox” facility, remains an option for many who are renewing their visas and meet specific criteria, allowing them to bypass the interview altogether. Applicants should continue to monitor the official U.S. Embassy and Consulate websites in India for any updates.
An Earlier Slot, Not a Guaranteed Visa
It is critical to understand what the $750 fee actually buys. Paying for an expedited appointment only grants you an earlier interview date; it does not guarantee that your visa will be approved. Applicants using this service are subject to the exact same security screening and must meet the same eligibility requirements as everyone else. The fee does not influence the consular officer's decision in any way, nor does it accelerate visa processing or printing after the interview. Should the program eventually launch in India, applicants would need to weigh the high, non-refundable cost against the benefit of simply getting an earlier interview, with the outcome of that interview still uncertain.
