J1 Visa Renewal

[eliza-klein 1]

Hi everyone!

So I am in the U.S. since the end of January where I started a 12-month internship in Finance.

My boss is now asking me what visa I would need to be able to stay after my J1 visa expires in January 2016.

We couldn't apply for an H1B visa as I am not graduated yet. I will have a Bachelor's Degree in October 2015.

I did the DV Lottery, but sadly with no luck. I have no possibility to get married nor do I have enough money for an investor visa.

So after looking up all possible info given by the DoS and every immigration page on Google, I am asking for your advice.

Is it possible to get a second J1 Visa?

Everything I read is that J1 visa can be renewed but only it doesn't exceed the maximum program length. The J1 Intern visa has a maximum period of 12 months (according to the very useless official J1 website).

If there was a way I could get another J1 visa, I could stay and my employer would file for an H1B in April 2016.

I am not subject to the 2-year home residency rule.

As I will graduate in October 2015, I can only apply for the J1 Intern visa because for the Trainee one you need to have finished your studies for 12 months or more.

Please help. If you have other visa ideas, let me know too.

Thank you,

- Eliza

[Boiler 43,429]

My first thought is why is he asking you and not his Immigration Lawyer?

[Unidentified 2,930]

I looked at a website that VJ doesn't allow me to link to and it just says 12 months. It mentions for example Au Pair where it specifically says the duration you can extend with but yours only mention 12 months. So I think you need to look into other options.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Maria&Seve