The U.S. State Department will launch an innovative pilot program. This program will allow tourism and business visa applicants to access an expedited service. In exchange for an additional payment of $750, consular processing will be considerably faster.
According to news agency Associated Press, the new “premium” service will be available temporarily. It will operate from July 1 through December 31 of this same year. It will allow applicants to obtain an appointment for the consular interview in just 10 days after payment.
This expedited process will be offered exclusively at select U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. The official announcement of the program will be made this same week through a formal notification. This notification will be published directly in the Federal Register of the United States.
What Will Be the Total Cost of the Express Visa?
The program cost will be added to the regular fee of $185 that is currently in effect. Those applying for B1/B2 visas (business and tourism) already pay this standard base fee. With the premium service, the total cost will increase significantly to $935 per application.
Internal documents obtained by Associated Press reveal important details about the plan’s implementation. A State Department official confirmed that authorized diplomatic posts will be announced soon. The official list will be known before the program goes into effect in July.
Although the measure seeks to accelerate access to interviews, payment does not guarantee anything else. The additional $750 payment does not guarantee visa approval in any way. The evaluation of each case will depend strictly on the standard immigration requirements already established.
The final decision will always depend exclusively on the consular officers assigned to the particular case. If the visa is rejected during the interview, the additional payment will not be refunded to the applicant. Therefore, the premium service only buys time, not guaranteed favorable results.
Why Are There Delays in Consular Processing?
The creation of this service occurs in a context of growing global delays. Visa processing presents significant delays at embassies and consulates around the entire world. According to official reports, waiting times for an interview can extend for several months.
These timeframes can be even longer for citizens of countries without the Visa Waiver Program. Latin American countries generally do not participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Therefore, their citizens face the longest delays.
