On September 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of State announced that all receipts for Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fees issued before October 1, 2022, will expire on September 30, 2023. Per State, there will be no further extensions of fee validity.
This means that visa applicants must schedule an appointment or submit an interview waiver application before September 30, 2023 to avoid paying a new fee. Note! The interview itself does not need to take place before September 30, but an appointment must be made in the system, even if the event is scheduled months in the future.
State cautions applicants against attempting to change appointment dates after October 1, 2023, because doing so will result in forfeiture of both the original appointment slot and the MRV fee. The applicant would be required to pay a new fee and submit a new application package.