The U.S. Department of State has published a temporary final rule that takes effect July 1, 2026, creating a new $750 fee that allows certain B1/B2 (business and tourism) nonimmigrant visa applicants to secure an interview within ten business days. The rule runs through December 31, 2026, and is explicitly designed as a pilot program ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
What Has Changed
As of July 1, 2026, B1/B2 visa applicants at yet-to-be-selected U.S. consular posts can pay a $750 “Nonimmigrant Visa Appointment Expedite Fee” to secure an expedited interview appointment within ten business days.
Significantly, the expedited appointment only moves up the interview date. It does not speed up any subsequent administrative processing, background checks, or actual visa issuance. It also does not guarantee that a visa will be approved. Also, if the applicant cancels or fails to appear, the $750 fee is forfeited.
Importantly, the rule also preserves all existing no-fee humanitarian expedite options. Consular officers retain the discretion to expedite interviews for urgent medical situations, genuine emergencies, and cases involving U.S. national interests, without charging the new fee.
Why This Matters for Businesses
Nonimmigrant visa wait times at consular posts in several countries have become a serious operational problem. While the global median wait time for a B1/B2 visa appointment is approximately 30 days, at some consular posts (e.g., India, Pakistan, Canada) applicants are waiting six months or more. For business travelers who may require last-minute travel, those timelines are a genuine obstacle to international commerce.
How the Process Works
The process for requesting an expedited B-1/B-2 visa consular appointment is as follows:
- The applicant completes the nonimmigrant visa application (Form DS-160) visa through the Consular Electronic Application Center and pays the standard $185 MRV fee.
- The applicant schedules a standard (non-expedited) appointment at a participating post.
- If expedited appointments are available at that post, the applicant will see the option to book an earlier slot within the next ten business days.
- A five-to-ten-minute hold is placed on the expedited slot while the applicant pays the $750 fee online. (If payment is not completed in that window, the hold releases and the slot returns to availability.)
- The applicant then attends the expedited appointment, which is subject to all standard interview and vetting requirements.
Which Posts Will Offer the Expedite Option?
The State Department has not published a list of participating posts. The list will be maintained on travel.state.gov and is expected to include posts with the longest wait times. Expedited appointments at each participating post will be capped at a percentage of total number of daily interviews, so availability is not guaranteed even at participating locations.
Because this is a temporary final rule, effective only through December 31, 2026, the State Department has indicated it will analyze demand data from the pilot program and determine whether to make the program permanent, adjust the fee, expand participating posts, or discontinue it.
Our Perspective
For foreign nationals seeking B1/B2 visas to travel to the United States for last-minute business travel that would otherwise be stranded by a multi-month wait time, this pilot program is worth factoring into your business travel planning process, at least for the second half of 2026.
We will continue to monitor program developments, including the list of participating posts and any announcements about the program’s future beyond December 31, 2026. If you should have any questions about how this pilot program may affect your international business travel program, please reach out to your Meltzer Hellrung professional.
