Good day
I'm an IMG who will be issued a J1 visa while doing the residency training. I was told by some people that since its a J1 visa, I would have to return to my country annually to renew the visa and that travelling is unavoidable for the renewal of a visa.
Furthermore because I'm a male, I was told that I would need to return to my country like 7-8 weeks prior to the expiry date of the visa, apply at the consulate, then return to USA, continue my training pending my visa renewal, then to return to my country to get the visa stamped on my passport once security clearance is obtained - all costing around 4000$ annually just on flights - which is a pretty expensive thing.
Is all of that true?
Does anyone have any info?
Can anyone help me in that aspect - I mean to figure out how things go, to clarify to me about what channels I can go through if I can avoid the trips in the first place,& even if i can avoid travelling at all and do the renewal directly while in USA.
Thanks for your time and help.
D :shock: