The E3 visa checklist below provides a general idea of what is usually needed for professional workers from Australia who are working in specialty occupation that requires at least a bachelor’s degree to obtain their E3 work visa. To have a better understanding of this list, please read the E3 visa overview for more details regarding the E3 visa petition.
Please click to download the E3 visa checklist for Australian professionals who has at least a bachelor’s degree working in a specialty occupation.
The overall emphasis on the documents and requirements/criteria of a E3 visa petition is that the E3 visa job position is qualified as a specialty occupation (which is a professional job that requires at least a bachelor’s degree) and the E3 visa worker has the qualifications to work in the E3 visa job position. The E3 visas are commonly used for Australian F1 visa students after they graduate from a U.S. college or university and are working on their OPT, however, it can also be used for Australian workers that are not currently in the United States (i.e., E3 visa workers do not need to be physically in the United States or even been to the United States before).
The requirements for a E3 visa petition are extensive and while ticking the boxes of requirements sounds simple enough, figuring out what items should be included and strategizing how the petition is presented is not. It is common practice and strongly encouraged to obtain an attorney for employment-based nonimmigrant visa petitions.
Alternatives to the E3 Visa Petition
For people who do not qualify for the E3 visa work visa petition, the closest alternatives would be filing for an H1B visa petition which are for foreign workers to work in specialty occupations that require at least a bachelor’s degree (i.e., it has the same general requirements as the E3 visa but it is available for foreign workers from all countries and has some different visa characteristics such as being a dual intent visa), O1 visa petitions for people who has an extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or L1B visa petition for employees who have specialized knowledge of the multinational company that they are working for.
Another possible alternative to filing an E3 visa petition would be to file for a green card petition which is a permanent immigrant visa and not a temporary work visa like the E3 visa. Typically, a person who is qualifiable for an E3 visa would choose to file for an EB2 green card (for persons who have at least a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree and 5 years of post-college progressive work experience) or an EB3 green card (for persons who have at least a bachelor’s degree). For more on green cards gained through work, please read the overview for employment-based green cards.
HAVE A E3 VISA IMMIGRATION QUESTION? CONTACT US
If you have an E3 visa (Australian Specialty Workers) immigration question, please fill out our contact us form or send us an email with some basic information about your background and your immigration needs. We will do our best to respond within 48 hours.
How we can help?
Kylie Huang Law’s immigration attorney will help identify whether the E3 visa is the appropriate nonimmigrant visa category for the client’s (or the client’s beneficiary’s) professional background and if there are other visa options for the client (or the client’s beneficiary). We will work closely with our client to prepare a convincing case for their (or it’s) E3 visa petition and we will also strategize on how the E3 visa petition should be presented to achieve the best chances of approval. It is strongly advised and common practice to retain an immigration attorney for an E3 visa petition due to the complexities in the immigration process and visa requirements.
What does the typical process look like to retain (hire) us?
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- Fill out the form (with some basic information on what your immigration needs are)
- Sign up and log into the client portal to schedule an appointment online
- Attend scheduled appointment (typically a phone call or zoom meeting)
- Retainment (signing a contract to hire us)
- Start processing case
- Gathering required documents
- Preparing paperwork
- Confirming contents of documents that will be submitted
- Filing the case
- Following up on the status of the case
- Close the case when a final determination is issued
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- Fill out the form (on what your immigration needs are)
- Sign up and log into the client portal to schedule an appointment
- Attend scheduled appointment (typically a phone call or zoom)
- Retainment (signing a contract to hire us)
- Start processing case
- Gathering required documents
- Preparing paperwork
- Confirming contents of documents that will be submitted
- Filing the case
- Following up on the status of the case
- Close the case when a final determination is issued
- Step 1:
- Step 2:
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- Step 4:
- Step 5:
- a.
- b.
- c.
- Step 6:
- Step 7:
- Step 8:
- Fill out the form (on what your immigration needs are)
- Sign up and log into the client portal to schedule appointment
- Attend scheduled appointment (typically a phone call or zoom)
- Retainment (hire us)
- Start processing case
- Gathering required documents
- Preparing paperwork
- Confirming content of documents that will be submitted
- Filing the case
- Following up on the case status
- Close the case when a final determination is issued