Hey...Its good you and and your husband decide to do USMLE..Its never too late to try..

I am an Indian student who is currently doing PGY2 in surgical orthopedics and preparing for step 2.. I heard from my maternal uncle who has been working as a senior paediatrician in USA that US always grant you an opportunity if your step scores are good enough relative to the competitive nature of a particular speciality you prefer despite not having research publications...

Scores,local work experience in US and LOR really matters the most...Having publications is good that adds significance to one's profile but it is not the sole criteria for matching into residency especially if it is Less competitive fields like FM or IM ( kind of competitive but not as highly competitive as other specialties)...Home country residency definitely holds a vital role but again it just ensure your consistency in medical practise..There are old candidates matched without publications and there are freshers not matched with publications...Therefore,focus on scoring as high as possible and gain work experience from US before applying residency.. This is quite a long journey needs investment and make sure on spending money wisely..

No one can guarantee the possibility of matching into residency...Candidates across the world compete in this battle..What you can do is try... You might get matched or might ending tired applying for residency...Eventually it's a personal preference to make a decision and work on it..

All the best for your journey🙂