Return to US after 2YHRR on intern/trainee J1?

[sldaughters 0]

Hi everyone,

first off: really cool forum, this seems like a really helpful place to ask a question.

Here's mine: I am currently dutifully serving my two year home residency requirement in Germany (home country). The two years are up July 2016 and I am thinking about going back, at least for some time. I was on a student exchange J1 visa (Fulbright program) for 2,5 years including post-completion academic training (J1 equivalent to OPT) - all paperwork for that stuff was always in order. I did my whole master's, two internships, two teaching assistantships, couple campus jobs, one training placement, all on the J1.

I obviously am considering H1B, which I guess would be very hard to get from a distance, at least in my line of work. So I was thinking that I could potentially broaden my chances by also considering to return on an intern or trainee J1. I know an organization that is an official J1-sponsor, which could assist me and an potential employer. I work in the media.

Here are my questions concerning my eligibility:

1) The trainee J1 requires you to have a degree from a "foreign post-secondary academic institution." Which I do. My bachelor's degree. My master's is from the States. Does that count?

2) The intern J1 requires you to be enrolled in university currently, which would be very easy for me to be, with German free universities and stuff. Still not very believable if I already have a (U.S.) master's degree in the field I want to pursue, or is it?

3) With my history and my two year rule currently pending, can I prove sufficient ties and willingness to return in order to be eligible for a J?

Thanks so much, everybody!

Timeline:
Aug 2011 - started master's degree
May 2013 - graduated with a master's
July 2013 - Feb 2014 - post-completion training
July 2014 - start of 2YHRR
July 2016 - 2YHRR completed!

Edited September 19, 2015 by sldaughters

[Boiler 45,516]

Obviously not a clean cut application but why not have a go? As you have contacts, biggest hurdle, why not look at H1b?

Or do both.