Would-be visitors to the United States who want to fast-track their visa application could face a massive hike in fees for the service from late 2025 if new proposals from President Donald Trump’s administration go ahead.
The charge for processing expedited tourist and non-immigration visas, which usually entails an appointment for an interview, currently stands at $185 (around €162). Under the new plans from Trump’s team, the fee for jumping the queue ahead of other applicants would increase by a whopping 440% to $1,000 (around €875).
Australia processes 90% of tourist visas within 23 days.
— Violet (@buxwal) June 3, 2025
The UK reports 21-day processing times.
But the US takes 84 days on average, with many consulates taking >1 year.
Long wait times for visitor visas threaten $1 trillion in international tourism and need to be fixed. pic.twitter.com/RZ8SxpaxzD
The plan matches the pattern of Trump’s blueprints for immigration and access to the US in general. The US President has repeatedly vowed to champion America’s working classes and secure the country’s borders. Yet he has frequently been reported as selling access to high bidders, for example, recently selling Facetime in return for millions in purchases of his own-brand $TRUMP crypto-currency. He also faced accusations in his first term of selling $ 200,000 memberships to his Mar-a-Lago country club where adherents could meet and lobby him.
Other similar pay-to-access policies are already on the table including providing entry to the US via a so-called “gold card” that would effectively sell US citizenship to high rollers able to provide the necessary $5 million (€4.3 million). The streamlined route to permanent residency and the legal right to live in the US, already reported by Travel Tomorrow, aims to attract wealthy investors and boost the US economy. Trump said in an Oval Office briefing that the status would “give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship.”
Returning to the latest scheme to raise the cost of expedited visas, a memo from the US State Department suggests it could go ahead in a pilot form as early as December 2025. However, the increase in charges is not yet a done deal, according to the same internal communications seen by Reuters. Government lawyers have reportedly questioned the legality of the move pointing out the “high risk” of it failing to pass muster at the White House budget office or in the courts. The judiciary could reject the plan, they warn, as there is no precedent for charging people more for visa services than their actual cost to the administration.
Planning to apply for a U.S. visa? U.S. national security is our top priority. Every traveler undergoes extensive security screening including checks against law enforcement and counterterrorism databases. Your visa won’t be issued until all security concerns are fully resolved.… pic.twitter.com/ypaHFSbLX3
— U.S. Embassy Nepal (@USEmbassyNepal) June 4, 2025
Approached for comment, a State Department spokesperson said its policy is not to comment on internal documents and communications but did not dismiss the reports, saying instead: “The department’s scheduling of non-immigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic and we are continually working to improve our operations worldwide.”
