"Why the trip ?"
That's not clear from the story. His parents still live in Jordan. It could be that he traveled to see them and had to get the visa because his previous one had expired. Or he wanted to travel outside the US and now needed a new visa to get back into the US. Unlike other visas, you don't have to leave the country when your student visa expires; you can stay as long as your I-20 is still valid. A student visa is a basically just a ticket to get into the US, not a requirement to stay here.
If you do want to leave the US and come back but your student visa has expired, you have to visit a consulate or embassy in another country to get one. It can't be done in the US. There's also no guarantee that you'll get one, although he apparently did since he was able to travel back. |
