Updates to B-1/B-2 Visa Applications for Tourism and Business

Two recent developments now provide more options to U.S. visa applicants for tourist and business categories. 

Expedited Appointments in 10 Days for B-1/B-2 Visas: The Department of State is piloting a $750 fee that will permit B-1/B-2 applicants to secure an interview appointment within ten business days at selected posts. The Department of State framed the pilot as a demand test ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This pilot program is valid July 1 through December 31, 2026 and will be offered only at limited consular posts and is in addition to the standard $185 application fee. These posts will be released soon by the Department of State website. This expedite fee does not change any processing beyond scheduling the interview and returning the passport; applicants remain subject to all standard eligibility and vetting, and issuance is never guaranteed. Applicants who cancel or skip the appointment forfeit the fee. It is still possible to request expedite processing for humanitarian and government-referral cases without paying the additional fee. 

Although this expedite option may be useful when there is limited appointment availability, it is less helpful to cases which are likely to need administrative processing or where eligibility is in doubt, as those cases will likely encounter delays in processing after the interview. The $750 is not refunded if the application is later subject to administrative processing. 

A new “Specialized Trainer” B-1 pathway: The B-1 is a temporary visa category, usually permitting up to 6 months of authorized stay in the U.S. for very limited business purposes. The Department of State has added a new permissible activity for the B-1 category to its Foreign Affairs Manual at 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(2). The Specialized Trainer pathway will: 

• allow a foreign national with unique knowledge not widely available in the U.S.; 

• to enter temporarily to train U.S. workers OR transfer proprietary techniques tied to industrial equipment or processes sourced from outside the United States;  

• in support of a “qualifying project.”  

As with any B-1, no U.S.-source payment or salary is permitted. The provision is widely seen as a response to the September 2025 immigration raid at Hyundai’s Georgia EV battery plant where 475 individuals were detained. This is a narrow, project-based carve-out to the standard business B-1 visa; it is not a general training visa.  

What is most challenging about the new B-1 pathway is that the term “qualifying project” is undefined, signaling a fact-specific, highly discretionary standard for the consular officer.  If approved, these visas must be annotated with the language “B-1 SPECIALIZED TRAINER,” which flags the case to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers upon arrival to the United States. The B-1 category is often subject to long wait times for an interview at consular posts as well, whereas the traditional managerial and specialized knowledge visas under the L-1 category are much shorter. 

This new B-1 option may fit some highly specific and short-term secondments to the U.S., particularly in support of proposed training or knowledge sharing that is incidental to specific trade or commerce based on an international transaction. However, it is not seen as a replacement visa type for longer-term assignments to the United States, and should be considered only on a case-by-case basis. 

To learn more about B-1/B-2 visa categories, contact the attorneys at MMH for a consultation.