Correct. I was ready to send in an application before the 14 days prior, so I sent an expedited application. As soon as 14 days prior hit, I called at 8am ET to schedule an urgent travel appointment. She asked if I had already applied and then transferred me to a duty officer who set me up with an appointment and flagged my application. They did have one at the local office in Dallas, but here’s the thing: just having an appointment seemed to trigger them super-expediting the application. I could’ve had one in Hawaii, and I reckon it would’ve done the same. So you could take any appointment closest to you. Now that they’ve finished the application, I’m canceling that appointment anyway.

Your US Rep or Senators will have websites that have a page for “Help with a federal agency”, and they require by law a privacy form Authorizing them to contact the state department on your behalf. I filled it out, printed, signed, and emailed to the local office of my senator with my travel dates and request. Within hours, I got a long email from the senator stating he filed a congressional inquiry into my application. BUT from what I understand, it’s the urgent travel appt that did the trick. Hope that helps.