This summer I will be in the US on a J-1 visa program, and will be there for a few weeks after the program ends (as I have a 30 day window to leave). I then plan to be in Canada for a few days, and spend the next 23 days in the US, before returning to the UK. Would I be able to come back in on an ESTA?
If not, what are my options?
I am a British citizen, studying as an undergraduate in the UK at present.
The two-year rule means that you have to be physically present outside the US for a minimum total of two years before you can obtain H, L or K Status, or become a permanent resident, be it by means of a visa obtained at an embassy or change of status through the USCIS.
It does not prevent you from entering the US as a visitor under the VWP. In other words, although you are apparently not subject to the 2-year rule, even if you were you would be able to visit.
