Long visa appointment wait times can create significant challenges for companies trying to bring foreign business visitors to the United States for time-sensitive meetings, negotiations, conferences, or other legitimate business activities. A new Department of State pilot program may provide another option for certain travelers who need a B visa interview sooner but do not necessarily qualify for a traditional emergency appointment.

The Department of State is currently testing a Nonimmigrant Visa Expedited Appointment Pilot Program that allows eligible B visa applicants to pay an additional $750 fee per applicant for the opportunity to schedule a visa interview within 10 business days, subject to appointment availability.

The pilot began on July 21, 2026, and is scheduled to continue through December 31, 2026. For now, the program is available only through Mission Mexico, including the U.S. Embassy and all U.S. consulates in Mexico, although the Department of State may announce additional participating locations during the pilot period.

For employers managing international business travel—and for individuals who need to travel to the United States for business or tourism—the new program provides another potential tool when ordinary visa appointment availability does not align with anticipated travel dates.

How Does the Paid Expedite Program Work?

The program does not replace the ordinary visa application process. Instead, it provides an optional way for qualifying applicants to obtain an earlier interview appointment.

An applicant must first complete the standard B visa scheduling process, including paying the regular $185 MRV visa application fee and scheduling a future interview appointment.

After doing so, the applicant can log back into the scheduling system, select “Continue,” then “Request Expedite,” and look for the “Paid Expedite” option.

The Paid Expedite option will appear only if:

• the country where the interview is being scheduled is participating in the pilot;
• expedited appointments are available; and
• the applicant meets the applicable eligibility requirements.

Participating embassies and consulates will make only a limited number of Paid Expedite appointments available each day. Therefore, even an otherwise eligible applicant may not see the option if the available expedited appointments have already been taken.

Once an applicant selects an expedited appointment date and time, the $750 fee must be paid within 10 minutes to secure the appointment.

Applicants paying the expedited appointment fee may also be able to select a premium passport or document delivery option at no additional cost, where that service is available.

What Does the $750 Fee Actually Buy?

This is perhaps the most important distinction for employers and travelers to understand: the additional fee buys an earlier interview appointment—not an expedited visa decision and certainly not a guaranteed visa.

Applicants using the pilot remain subject to the same eligibility requirements, security checks, screening, and consular review as any other visa applicant. The consular officer must independently determine that the applicant qualifies for a B visa under U.S. immigration law.

Accordingly, paying the additional fee should not be viewed as a guarantee that the traveler will receive a visa—or that the visa will be issued in time for a particular business trip.

For employers, this means it remains important to avoid making nonrefundable travel arrangements or other significant commitments solely because an employee or business visitor secured a Paid Expedite appointment.

Why Might the Program Matter for Business Travel?

The new option may be particularly valuable for business travel that is important and time-sensitive, but not necessarily an “emergency.”

Traditional emergency appointment procedures generally require an applicant to establish circumstances meeting a particular post's emergency criteria. Business travel may be commercially important without satisfying those standards.

The Paid Expedite program creates a potential alternative.

For example, a company might need a foreign executive, customer, consultant, or other business visitor in the United States relatively quickly for activities such as:

• business meetings or consultations;
• contract negotiations;
• conferences or trade shows;
• board or shareholder meetings; or
• other temporary activities that are permissible in B-1 visitor status.

Where the individual otherwise qualifies for a B visa, the Paid Expedite program may make it possible to obtain an interview substantially sooner than the next routinely available appointment.

Importantly, however, the pilot does not change the rules governing what a visitor may do while in the United States. Obtaining an expedited B-1 visa appointment does not authorize productive employment or other activities that would ordinarily require employment-authorized nonimmigrant status. Employers should therefore continue to evaluate the nature of the proposed U.S. activities separately from the visa appointment question.

The Expedited Fee Is Nonrefundable—and Appointments Cannot Be Changed

Applicants should be certain they can attend the appointment they select before paying the expedited fee.

Once a Paid Expedite appointment has been scheduled, it cannot be rescheduled. If the applicant cancels or misses the appointment, the $750 expedited appointment fee is forfeited.

The fee is also nonrefundable and nontransferable, including when the applicant attends the interview but the visa application is ultimately refused.

If an applicant misses the expedited appointment and the underlying MRV application fee was paid less than one year earlier, the applicant may be able to schedule another regular appointment without paying the standard visa application fee again. However, obtaining another Paid Expedite appointment would require payment of another $750 expedited fee.

Employers paying these costs on behalf of business travelers should therefore consider the employee's availability carefully before purchasing an expedited slot.

Each Applicant Must Pay Separately

For families or groups applying together, the $750 fee applies to each applicant seeking an expedited appointment.

The scheduling system does permit a group to be separated, however, so not every person included in a group application necessarily has to use the expedited option. This may be useful where only one employee, executive, or family member has an immediate need for an earlier appointment.

What If an Emergency Appointment Request Was Already Denied?

A denial of a traditional emergency appointment request does not prevent an applicant from using the Paid Expedite program.

An applicant whose emergency request was denied may still select and pay for a Paid Expedite appointment if the applicant otherwise qualifies and an appointment is available.

This may be one of the program's most practically significant features for employers: travel that a company considers urgent may not satisfy the government's criteria for an emergency appointment, but it could still warrant paying for an earlier interview where the business need justifies the additional expense.

Interview Waiver Cases Are Not Eligible

The pilot does not provide a way to pay for faster processing of an interview-waiver application.

Applicants renewing visas through the interview waiver process cannot use the $750 fee to expedite adjudication. Only applicants with a future visa interview appointment are eligible to access the Paid Expedite option.

Key Takeaways for Employers and Business Travelers

For companies managing international travel, the new pilot is worth adding to the list of options to consider when a B visa applicant cannot obtain a routine appointment in time for anticipated travel.

Employers should keep several points in mind:

Plan ahead even when using the expedite program. Applicants must first pay the regular MRV fee and schedule a standard appointment before the Paid Expedite option becomes available.

Do not assume an expedited appointment will be available. Participating posts offer a limited number of appointments, and availability can change.

Budget for the fee on a per-person basis. The $750 fee is charged to each applicant and is in addition to the regular $185 visa application fee.

Be certain of the appointment date before paying. Paid Expedite appointments cannot be rescheduled, and canceling or missing the appointment results in forfeiture of the fee.

Do not treat an earlier appointment as a guarantee of travel. The program does not guarantee visa approval or accelerated visa issuance following the interview.

Confirm that B-1 status is appropriate for the proposed activities. The new program changes appointment scheduling only; it does not expand the scope of activities permitted for business visitors.

Bottom Line

For qualifying travelers, the Paid Expedite pilot offers a potentially useful middle ground between waiting for the next routine B visa appointment and trying to establish eligibility for an emergency appointment.

The program may be particularly helpful to employers dealing with legitimate, time-sensitive business travel where the cost of delaying a meeting, negotiation, conference, or other business activity outweighs the additional $750 appointment fee.

For now, however, the program remains geographically limited, appointment availability is not guaranteed, and the additional fee carries meaningful financial risk because it is nonrefundable and appointments cannot be changed.

Employers and foreign nationals facing time-sensitive U.S. business travel should therefore consider the Paid Expedite program as one component of their broader travel strategy while continuing to evaluate B-1 eligibility, consular processing risks, and realistic travel timelines.