E-3 Visas: Temporary Work Permits for Australian Professionals

Background

If you are an Australian professional and you wish to work in the U.S., the E-3 visa may be a great nonimmigrant visa option for you and your family. Kaplan and Trombi Immigration Law has extensive experience obtaining these visas for clients in the entertainment industry.

About the E-3 Visa

The U.S. issues 10,500 E-3 visas annually and the visa process can be very challenging to navigate. The petition requires some interface with the Department of Labor and applicants typically present these petitions at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad. The E-3 classification is also available to spouses and children of beneficiaries, and these dependents need not be Australian nationals. A beneficiary’s spouse is also eligible to apply for work authorization in the U.S. While the initial stay period for an E-3 visa is two years, extensions may be granted indefinitely in two-year increments.

Requirements

The E-3 visa category, available exclusively to Australian nationals, is awarded subject to the following requirements:

• The applicant has a legitimate offer of employment in the U.S.;
   
• The applicant wishes to fill a position that qualifies as a “specialty occupation”;
   
• The applicant possesses the necessary academic or other qualifying credentials (typically a bachelor's degree or equivalent); and
   
• The applicant’s intended stay is temporary.