Apply for an Expedited Appointment

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Overview

If you have an unforeseen travel need as per one of the criteria listed below, you may qualify for an expedited appointment depending on availability at the American Institute in Taiwan. It is important to ensure you meet all the criteria, because applicants are only allowed to create one expedited appointment request.

Qualifications

Before you apply for an expedited appointment, you must ensure that you have documentary evidence to prove the urgency. If it appears during your visa interview that you misrepresented the reasons for urgent travel, such facts will be noted on your case file and may adversely influence the outcome of your visa application. Except for certain applicants who are not required to pay a visa application fee and can apply for a visa without scheduling an appointment, all applicants requesting an expedited appointment are required to first pay visa fees for a regular visa appointment. If you have not paid the visa application fee and you wish to request for an expedited appointment, we recommend that you pay your fee via ATM or EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) in order for the system to quickly verify your payment.

Note: Travel for the purpose of attending weddings and graduation ceremonies, assisting pregnant relatives, participating in an annual business/academic/professional conference, or enjoying last-minute tourism does not qualify for expedited appointments. For such travel, please schedule a regular visa appointment well in advance.

Medical Treatment

Purpose of travel is to obtain urgent medical care, or to accompany a relative or employer for urgent medical care.

Essential documentation:

  • A letter from your doctor describing the medical condition and why you are seeking medical care in the United States.
  • A letter from the physician or hospital in the United States indicating that they are prepared to treat the case and providing the approximate cost of the treatment.
  • Evidence of how you will pay for the cost of the treatment.
Family Emergency: Funeral/Critical Illness

Purpose of travel is to visit an immediate relative who is critically ill, OR to attend the funeral of or make arrangements for repatriating the body of an immediate relative in the United States.

Essential documentation:

  • A letter or other documentation from the U.S.-based physician or hospital, or
  • A letter from the funeral director stating the contact information, the details of the deceased, and the date of the funeral.
  • You must also present evidence showing your relationship to that immediate relative.
Urgent Business Travel

Purpose of travel is to attend to an urgent business matter where the travel requirement could not be predicted in advance.

Essential documentation:

  • A letter of invitation from the corresponding company in the United States attesting to the urgency of the planned visit, describing the nature of the business and why the U.S. company will suffer a significant loss of opportunity if an expedited appointment is not available.
Students or exchange visitors

Students and exchange visitors (F, J, and M visa applicants) who cannot arrive at school before their program starting dates.

Essential documentation:

  • Form I-20 or Form DS-2019.
  • Evidence that you have paid the SEVIS fee (when applicable).
E visa applicants with urgent travel need

If after you have scheduled an appointment you believe that your appointment may not meet your travel need, you can submit an expedited appointment request.

Essential information and documentation:

  • Name of U.S. enterprise, business, or company
  • Name of the parent company (if any)
  • Has anyone from this U.S. company (or from the parent company) ever been issued a treaty E-1 or E-2 visa?
    If yes, please provide name and date the most recent E visa was issued.
  • Are you applying as the principal applicant or as the family dependent?
  • A scanned copy of your DS-160 confirmation page
  • A scanned copy of a letter from your company specifying the urgency of your travel
Holders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card

Essential documentation:

  • Please include in your request the date and purpose of your travel. Provide relevant supporting documents.
  • APEC Business Travel Card.

Applicants qualified for AIT AmCham Program

Essential documentation:

  • AmCham letter.

ESTA Denied

You may request an expedited visa appointment if you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program partner but have received notice that you are no longer eligible to travel to the United States under that program. Such travelers include those who are dual nationals of Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria, or those who have travelled to Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, or Somalia after March 1, 2011.  Your travel must be imminent to qualify for an expedited appointment. Essential documentation:

  • Please include in your request the date and purpose of your travel.  Provide relevant supporting documents.
  • A copy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection message you received regarding your ESTA status.

Applying for an Expedited Appointment

Step 1

Complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form.

 Step 2: Create your profile

Once you have completed the DS-160 application you will be able to create your profile in the online applicant system and choose your passport delivery method.  Once logged in, choose “New Application/Schedule appointment” on the left side.  If your family members are applying together with you, you can add their records in your profile without creating a separate profile for each of them.

Step 3: Pay your visa application fee

As you go through your profile in the system, you will be prompted to pay the visa application fee.  If you have not paid the visa application fee and you wish to request for an expedited appointment, we recommend that you pay your fee via ATM or EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) in order for the system to quickly verify your payment.For more information about payment options and receipt activation times, click here.  After your payment receipt is activated and your documents are gathered, you can go back to your online profile to continue the process. 

Step 4

Please go back to your online profile to schedule an appointment for the earliest available date. Please note that you must schedule a regular appointment before you can request an expedited date. At the time you schedule your appointment, you will see an onscreen message showing the earliest available appointment date, which includes expedited appointments. Accordingly, you may find that it is not necessary to request an expedited appointment because there are no earlier dates available.

If you wish to proceed with requesting an expedited appointment, please select Emergency Request on the left side of your screen to complete the form or contact the call center to request assistance. While we cannot guarantee that your request will be approved, we will consider each request based on each applicant’s individual circumstances and our capacity.  Please be sure to note the type of urgency you believe qualifies you for an expedited appointment and to attach the essential documentation as listed above. Failure to provide this information will result in denial of your request. Once you have submitted your request, please wait for a response from the American Institute in Taiwan which will arrive via email.

Step 5

If the American Institute in Taiwan approves your request then you will receive an email alerting you to schedule your expedited appointment online. Please understand that the call center cannot schedule your expedited appointment for you, but agents are able to assist you if questions arise. Should the American Institute in Taiwan deny your request for an expedited appointment, you will be notified of the denial by email and you should keep your existing appointment.

Note: The email confirming or denying your request will come from no-reply@ustraveldocs.com. Some email applications have rules which filter unknown senders into a spam or junk mail folder. If you have not received your email notification, please look for the message in your junk and spam email folders.

Step 6

Visit the American Institute in Taiwan on the date and time of your visa interview. You will need to bring a printed copy of your appointment letter, your Form DS-160 confirmation page, one photograph taken within the last six months, your current and all old passports and supporting documents. Click here and select your visa type to learn more about visa requirements. Applications without all of these items will not be accepted.