After imposing a 3.5% remittance tax on international money transfers by non-US citizens, President Trump is looking to cash in on visa interview appointment delays at US embassies and consulates across the world. The US visa interview wait times continue to be a nightmare for Indians, especially B1/B2 visa applicants planning to visit America for personal or professional purposes. It takes several months to secure a B1/B2 visa interview slot, with the average wait time extending to nearly 9 months across the US Embassy and Consulates in India.
The Trump administration has proposed a premium service fee – $1000 – for US visa applicants to fast-track their interview appointments and bypass long waiting times. This is proposed in addition to the current processing fee of $185 for US tourist visa and student visa categories. With plans to be launched as a pilot program in December 2025, the new premium processing fee would enable you to secure early non-immigrant visa interview slots in India.
Cutting short, B1/B2 visas will particularly come with a hefty $1000+$185 fee given the US tourist visa interview delays at the US Embassy and Consulates in India, if President Trump’s proposal is approved. A significant number of US tourist visa applicants would take a hit, as evident from Hyderabad to Dallas, Chennai to Detroit, Kolkata to New York, Bengaluru to Seattle flights carrying Indians on B1/B2 visa.
Trump’s fast-track visa interview processing fee aims to monetize the demand for non-immigrant US visas and generate a revenue stream out of unusually long interview wait times. With over 10 million non-immigrant visas issued in 2024, including nearly 6 million tourist visas, the demand is high, and interview delays are often frustratingly long. By offering to expedite US visa interview appointments for a premium fee $1000, the Trump administration is to give travelers a choice: wait it out or pay to move up.
This proposed fast-track visa interview service is very much like President Trump’s vision of a Gold Card visa program that would sell US citizenship for $5 million, granting faster access to those willing to pay. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has quickly moved to reshape immigration policy by tightening screening procedures, revisiting visa categories, and now, introducing a paid route for faster visa appointments.
