US offers $750 expedited tourist visa appointments: Is India included?

The US State Department has introduced a pilot program allowing certain B-1 and B-2 visa applicants to pay an extra $750 for expedited interview appointments at selected US embassies and consulates. However, India is not among the locations currently included in the pilot.

Under the pilot program, applicants are required to follow the standard process of paying the $185 MRV fee and scheduling an interview appointment. After that, a limited number of expedited appointments are made available daily through the pilot program. Applicants can check for the availability of expedited appointments and schedule them after selecting a preferred date and time. The $750 fee is non-refundable and must be paid within 10 minutes of selecting the appointment.

The pilot program, set to run until December 31, 2026, specifically targets applicants seeking B-1 and B-2 visas for tourist or business travel. It offers applicants earlier appointments, but not a guaranteed visa.

Currently, participating embassies and consulates in the pilot program include the Mission Canada (Embassy and all consulates), Embassy Bogota, Embassy Guatemala City, Embassy San Jose, Embassy Tegucigalpa, and Mission Mexico (Embassy and all consulates). However, the availability of expedited appointments may be limited at these locations.

Indian applicants are not eligible for the $750 expedited appointment option at present. They must continue to follow the regular B-1/B-2 visa appointment process through US consular posts in Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, and Kolkata unless the State Department adds Indian posts to the pilot program in the future.