State Department Tests $750 Optional Visa Interview Expedite Pilot Ahead of World Cup and Olympics
Applicants can pay an extra $750 on top of the $185 base fee for a B1/B2 interview within 10 days. The six-month program begins July 1 and targets demand ahead of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Washington ExaminerThe State Department will allow certain visa applicants to bypass long wait times for an additional $750 fee on top of the existing $185 base fee. The pilot program, announced Tuesday, runs from July 1 through December 31 and guarantees an interview appointment within 10 days. The service applies to B1/B2 visa applicants.
These temporary non-immigrant visas allow foreign visitors to enter the United States for business, tourism, or medical treatment, typically permit stays of up to 180 days, and expire after 10 years. The State Department said the timing reflects expected demand from FIFA’s 2026 World Cup, which is projected to draw more than 1 million foreign tourists to American stadiums.
The department also cited the need to prepare for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
“In the wake of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, the Department has determined that now is the time to test the demand for and provision of a new fee-based expedited interview appointment service,” the State Department said in the Federal Register.
The department projects 25,705 applicants will purchase the expedited service each year, generating an estimated $19,278,750 in annual revenue. The program is described as an optional premium addition.
U.S. consulates and embassies. The $750 fee is intended to shorten that interval to within 10 days.
U.S. Visa procedures under the second Trump administration. The State Department now requires visitors from 50 countries, including Cuba, Uganda, and Venezuela, to post $15,000 bonds to ensure they do not overstay their visas. The federal government has also launched the Trump Gold Card, which offers permanent residence and potential citizenship for $1 million.
A federal court on Monday halted President Donald Trump’s effort to charge H-1B visa applicants $100,000 to fill high-skilled jobs. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that the policy was arbitrary and capricious.
“These federal judges are really giving us a hard time. It is really crazy what’s going on with the court system. They are giving us a very, very hard time,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
