J-1 Visa with 2-year HRR. If I get admitted for PhD, will 2HRR be valid in 5 years?

[aabs]

Hello everyone,

I am currently doing my master's degree on J-1 Visa, with a 2-year HRR. I am planning to go back home this fall, and apply for PhD programs to start next fall. That means, that (given that I get admitted to the PhD program) by next fall I will have spent 1 year back home.
1) My first question is: if I get admitted to PhD, and complete the program in 4 or 5 years, will my HRR still be valid? If yes, will I have to spend one more year back home, or start all over again, and spend 2 full years?
2) What are the chances of getting a waiver in total of 5 years' time from now?
3) If I decide to pursue PhD degree, will I come to the US on an F-1 visa?
4) Is there a way to apply for green card now, or will HRR prevent me from it? What if I apply in 2 years' time? Will I have to have an employer, or can I apply before securing a job?
5) How do I prove that I have fulfilled 2-year home residency requirement? Would it be enough for US Consulate Section to see that through examining my passport and visas in my passport, or would I have to prove it anyways? Should I start collecting copies of job contracts, and so forth?
6) Last, but not least: There is a slight chance that I might be working for a firm outside of my home country (not in the US, a developing country). If I get a citizenship of that country, will that somehow affect my 2-year HRR, and/or eliminate it? Or further aggravate my visa status?

Thanks a lot, I would greatly appreciate your help!

 

[LucyMO]

1) My first question is: if I get admitted to PhD, and complete the program in 4 or 5 years, will my HRR still be valid?

yes

If yes, will I have to spend one more year back home, or start all over again, and spend 2 full years?

yu will need to spend a cumulative sum of two years. If you already spent a year at home, there will be one more year left (that is, if you don't get a PhD on J-1 visa with a new HRR - in this case, the "new" two years will apply).

3) If I decide to pursue PhD degree, will I come to the US on an F-1 visa?

you should.

4) Is there a way to apply for green card now, or will HRR prevent me from it? What if I apply in 2 years' time? Will I have to have an employer, or can I apply before securing a job?

HRR will prevent you in any case.

5) How do I prove that I have fulfilled 2-year home residency requirement?

yu will have to bring your passport with dates of all travel.

If I get a citizenship of that country, will that somehow affect my 2-year HRR

no, it will not. You will still have HRR.

 

[aabs]

thank you very much for answering my questions, LucyMo!