Brill Immigration | Fast Track option
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Amanda Brill, Founder and Managing Attorney at Brill immigration, answers commonly asked questions and explains what the “fast track” or expedited options currently mean in the US immigration process, especially for individuals or businesses trying to obtain work-authorized visas (like H-1B, L-1, or O- 1) or visitor visas after an ESTA denial.
“I want to pay for the ‘fast track’ option” What does this currently mean for the US immigration process? How quickly can you get to the US with a valid visa and what can you actually “fast track”?
It seems as though all of our clients and potential clients needed to be in the US yesterday. That’s ok. We’ve always prided ourselves on our ability to navigate the US immigration process successfully and in record time. Lately, however, what we’re calling “micro-obstructions” have been added to the US immigration petition and visa issuance process that add critical days and potentially weeks to receiving travel and work authorization in the US. So what exactly is the “fast track” option at the moment and what are you paying for?
Premium processing of a petition - $2,805 USD – increased from 15 calendar days to 15 business days.
Amanda Brill
Founder & Managing Attorney
Brill Immigration
Many work-authorized visa categories (including H-1Bs, L-1s, and O-1s) require a petition to be filed and approved before a visa interview. Regular processing times for these petitions can extend to 10 months and more depending on the category and government workload. Until April 1, 2024, for an additional fee (currently $2,805 USD), a petition could be “upgraded” to premium processing for a 15-calendar-day adjudication. On April 1, 2024, premium processing for this petition category was extended to 15 business days, effectively adding five additional days to the petition process. Once the petition is approved, only then can the petition’s beneficiary apply for a visa stamp. So, can that process be expedited and what’s the cost?
Visa Interview Date Expedite Requests
Thankfully the days of extremely limited dates for visa interviews are largely over. However, new State Department policies require that almost all visa applicants (including the elderly and babies) attend in-person visa interviews, and they mandate that the visa application (DS-160) be submitted at least two business days in advance of an interview. Therefore, if a date appears to be available earlier than that two-day window, it cannot be used for the interview date. The applicant will be refused admission to the embassy for the interview at the door.
For individuals with denied ESTA applications, B visa (the ESTA equivalent for those with ESTA denials) interview dates are not as readily available. In London, for example, the next available B visa interview is scheduled out two months. This sort of delay can be very problematic if there is an urgent business meeting scheduled and an ESTA approval was anticipated. For visa interview dates, there is an expedite request available that can be submitted through the interview booking website. This can bring the wait-time down from 2 months to 1 week if presented effectively for a compelling purpose. There is no charge to make a request to expedite the interview date once the visa fee is paid, but the request can only be made one time and an applicant can benefit from receiving legal advice for this request.
Expedited Visa Issuance After the Interview
Following the visa interview, if successful, the US Embassy keeps the applicant’s passport for visa issuance while final security checks are completed and the visa foil is printed in the passport. Historically, this could take anywhere from one business day to five business days. In fact, for over a decade, we only had one applicant in the UK whose visa issuance took more than five business days (other than applicants facing “administrative processing”). Today, we see this trending more towards the five business day processing as standard. Again, this can add a couple of critical business days to an already lengthy process. Why is this? This tends to happen for petition-based visa applicants (H-1Bs, Ls and O-1s) when the petition approval is not yet in the Embassy’s verification system (called “PIMS” – Petition Information Management System) following a recent petition approval. There is no formal mechanism to expedite visa issuance, and we are continually reminded by the Embassy that applicants should not make travel plans until the visa stamp is issued. This is easier said than done and almost none of our clients heed this advice, but there is little that can be done to expedite visa issuance other than polite requests to the Embassy via the Visa Navigator with a compelling reason for travel.
“Fast Track” return of passport
“I’ll just pop by the embassy to pick-up my passport.” We get this request and suggestion regularly. In theory, it would save at least one business day to collect a passport and newly issued visa stamp in person. In reality, however, this would prove wholly impractical for a consular post the size of the US Embassy London. The US Embassy London issued approximately 15,000 visa foils in May 2025 (the most recent data available) and coordinating document return at that scope or level means that in-person passport collection is an extraordinary and rarely offered remedy. Instead, the more common “fast track” option that is readily available to all is in-person collection from official Embassy courier depot, Mail Boxes, Etc. (“MBE”), 19 Bury Pl, London WC1A 2JB. Collecting in-person from MBE can shave a day off Royal Mail delivery (the other option for home delivery or delivery to a MBE in other parts of the UK) as well as leaving little room for error in the form of lost documents or erroneous location delivery.
“Fast Tracking” from Four to Six Weeks
In summary, what was once possible in four weeks is now only possible in six weeks, so additional advanced planning is required. The only paid-for fast track option is premium processing of a petition whilst all other expedited services are discretionary and not available as a matter of course. Where possible, we advise individuals and businesses to allow for these additional “business days” which collectively form a couple of “business weeks” and start the US immigration process as early as possible.
Brill Immigration is a US immigration law firm based in London’s Fitzrovia serving some of the world’s best creatives and entrepreneurs, multinational businesses, film and television production companies, extraordinary talented individuals and innovators in moving to and working legally in the United States. To get in touch and learn more, visit: https://brillimmigration.com/