Imagine planning a trip to the US…
and being told your interview slot is 12 months away.
Not the visa. The interview.
That's been the reality for thousands of Indians, Brazilians, and Mexicans trying to visit America.
Well, the US State Department just blinked.
Starting July 1, you can skip the year-long queue.
For a price.
💸 $750 extra. Roughly ₹71,000.
Here's the deal.
B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourist) applicants can now pay a premium fee to get an interview within 10 business days.
Total damage with the standard $185 application fee?
👉 $935 per person. About ₹88,500.
Per person. Not per family.
Yes, a family of four is looking at nearly ₹3.5 lakh — just to sit in a chair and answer questions.
Because the wait times are brutal.
The State Department even name-dropped the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 LA Olympics as reasons to speed things up.
Though let's be honest — for World Cup fans, July 1 is already too late.
This is the part people are missing.
The fee buys you a date on the calendar.
That's it.
As one former US consular officer put it bluntly:
"You're paying for an earlier date on the calendar, not for a better outcome."
A public service just became a tiered service.
The faster lane is now the paid lane.
Great news if you have:
Not-so-great news if you're a regular tourist in Mumbai dreaming of Times Square.
The pilot runs through end of 2026. If demand is strong, it stays forever.
And here's the quiet truth — demand will absolutely be strong.
Because when the alternative is waiting a year…
₹71,000 starts feeling like a bargain.
The American Dream just got a premium subscription tier.
That's all for now!
