The U.S. State Department will soon let some travelers pay $750 to skip the line for a visa interview, cutting the wait to as little as 10 business days.
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The pilot program starts July 1 and applies only to B1 and B2 nonimmigrant visas for business or leisure travel. The expedited slots are available in limited quantities at designated embassies and consulates, with the full list of participating locations published on travel.state.gov. Applicants must check this resource to confirm whether their preferred post offers the service, as not all diplomatic missions will provide the option.
Standard wait times for these interviews currently stretch up to 21.5 months, according to the department’s most recent update. The fee doesn’t speed up application processing—only the interview scheduling. While the expedited slot secures a sooner appointment, the subsequent review of the application, including background checks and administrative processing, follows the same timeline as standard cases. This means that even with a faster interview, the overall visa issuance may still take weeks or longer, depending on the complexity of the applicant’s background or additional documentation requests.
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Even with the paid shortcut, processing times depend on individual cases. The department warns that the expedited slot doesn’t guarantee a faster final decision. Factors such as incomplete applications, required additional screenings, or peak travel seasons can all contribute to delays, regardless of how quickly the interview itself is scheduled. Travelers are advised to submit all necessary paperwork in advance and respond promptly to any follow-up requests to avoid prolonging the process.
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Wait times for interviews vary by location, and the next available appointment can shift monthly. The latest global figures were posted June 18. These updates reflect real-time changes in demand and consular capacity, meaning that a post with a shorter wait time one month may see a surge in applications the next, extending the delay for new requests. Applicants are encouraged to check the State Department’s visa wait times dashboard regularly, as the data is refreshed to provide the most current estimates for each embassy and consulate.