Work in the U.S. on the E3 Visa
Welcome to The E3 University
Thousands of Australians look for work in the U.S. on an E3 visa, but often fail because they do not have an employment plan. The E3 University is your comprehensive guide to boosting your chances of securing a job in the United States on the E3 visa—a work visa available only to Australians.
Whether you are in Australia or already in the U.S., our program connects you with E3 Friendly employers, recruiters and allies, provides job search strategies, and helps you navigate the visa process with ease.
Why Choose The E3 University?
- One-hour Personal Session on how to maximize your chances of finding work.
- Monthly Zoom Calls to ask questions and share Job Search Best Practices.
- Access a comprehensive list of E3 Friendly Employers.
- Join an online Community of Australians who are currently hiring U.S. roles.
- Get expert guidance and resources on the E3 visa process.
- Learn how to ace U.S. job applications and interviews using A.I.
- Understand visa requirements, employer obligations, and application tips.
- Access Australian Allies who can assist with your job search.
- Join a Network of Australians working in the U.S.
How to Work in the U.S. on an E3 Visa
Step 1: Learn the E3 Visa Process
Before applying for jobs, it’s essential to understand how the E3 visa works. This visa is exclusive to Australians and allows you to work in a specialty occupation in the U.S. Our comprehensive guides cover everything from visa eligibility, required documentation, letter of support, and processing timelines.
Step 2: Find “E3 Friendly” Employers
Not all U.S. employers are familiar with the E3 visa, so targeting the right companies is key. Our platform provides a curated list of “E3 Friendly” employers actively hiring Australians. Get access to exclusive job postings in high-demand fields such as technology, finance, healthcare, engineering, and more.
Step 3: Prepare a Winning Job Application
To stand out to U.S. employers, your resume and cover letter must be optimized for American hiring standards. The E3 University offers resume templates, expert writing tips, and how to use A.I. effectively to increase your chances of securing interviews. Learn how to craft a compelling LinkedIn profile, navigate job boards, and connect with E3 Friendly recruiters and allies.
Step 4: Master the U.S. Job Interview Process
U.S. job interviews often differ from those in Australia. We provide interview coaching, sample questions, and negotiation strategies to help you succeed. Whether it’s a technical interview, behavioral assessment, or salary discussion, you’ll be fully prepared to make a great impression on employers.
Step 5: Secure Your E3 Visa
Once you receive a job offer, we guide you through the E3 visa application process, ensuring you have all necessary documents, including your LCA (Labor Condition Application), employer sponsorship letter, and proof of qualifications. Our step-by-step checklist makes the visa process stress-free.
Step 6: Relocate in the U.S.
Moving to the U.S. involves more than just securing a visa. Our relocation support includes housing tips, tax information, healthcare guidance, and cultural adaptation resources to help you transition smoothly. Connect with The Australian Community and gain insider knowledge about how to work in the U.S. on the E3 Visa.
What is the Cost of The E3 University?
Once you join The Australian Community with a three or six month membership, you are eligible to sign up for the E3 University.
The cost is $395
Consider this: At a minimum you will need to budget between $100 – $200 per day to stay in the U.S. as a tourist. If our guidance reduces the time to find work through education and introductions by just five days the cost has more than been covered.
Why Your Employment Plan is Essential!
For anyone who has unsuccessfully applied for dozens of US positions from Australia, you eventually realize that you are only one among millions around the world in competition for the same dream.
The E3 visa advantage is real, but an abundance of Australian work visas does not correlate with an abundance of US job offers.
In part, the answer to finding work is that you cannot do it from behind a keyboard in Australia. The vast majority of Australians who have found work, have done so from within America.
However, you need to be financially and psychologically prepared for what can be an often frustrating and lengthy process. Whilst there are instances where Australian find work within a few weeks, these are the exceptions.
Maximizing your Finances for what could be a Long Stay!
For anyone prepared to travel to another country, you need a basic checklist of items. One of those items will be having enough finances to sustain your stay. But how do you move $AU to $US without being hit with exorbitant foreign exchange rates for a Travel Card or hit with fees and an exorbitant foreign exchange rate every time you use your Australian credit card or Debit card at an ATM?
What is important is that The Australian Community has relationships with Technology and Finacial Institutions that allow you to open US Bank and Credit card accounts and fund them through transferring money at an exchange rate that is hard to beat.
The amazing thing is that you can do this before you leave Australia, and without a US Social Security Number! As soon as you land in the US, you can activate the account through your phone, and your finances are available immediately.
When you find work, you already have a Bank Account for your salary and can start building US Credit from day one! You can learn more here. This is an example of how our organization has you covered by creating offerings that make the transition to a new country as smooth as possible.
Boots and All or Big Toe First?
It is not uncommon for an Australian to quit their job and armed with two suitcases, go all in on finding work in America. Others take a more conservative approach. They take a vacation to the US for a few weeks and in that time assess the employment situation.
Whichever strategy aligns with your tolerance for risk, without the necessary planning, your chances of success are close to zero.
The Australian Community has therefore developed and refined its Community Job Fair based on feedback from its Australian members who have found work. It does not guarantee that you will find work in America. However, it certainly increases your chances.
Like many other processes, the first step to finding jobs for Australian in America is preparation – and where most Australians fail. Arriving in the US with simply a dream and enough finances to sustain your time in America, will usually end in tears.
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation!
If you are considering taking your career to the next level, you first need to ask yourself these questions:
- What is the expected annual salary for someone with my skills and education in the US?
- Is that enough to sustain the lifestyle I envision for myself? My family?
- How much demand is there for my skills?
- What is my Employment Plan starting on Day 1 of arrival?
- Do I plan to spend at least eight hours each day executing my Employment Plan?
- Do I have at least ten calls or meetings with Allies planned in the first week of arrival?
- How many are “Australian Friendly” recruiters?
- Do I understand how to use A.I. to elevate the visibility of my Resume?
- Is my LinkedIn profile in lock step with my Resume?
- Do I have the necessary Work Authorization language on my Resume?
It would be fair to say that answering the first three questions can determine if your American dream is even possible. Therefore, a lack of demand for your skills is going to mean increased competition for jobs and lower salaries.
However, if in doing your due diligence from Australia you realize that now is not the best time to pursue your dream, you can prevent travelling thousands of miles to spend thousands of dollars for the same conclusion.
Most importantly, your Employment Plan is an essential component in finding work. It sets out how you are going to uncover job opportunities beyond searching the classifieds. You review it daily to measure how you are progressing against plan. It also lays out important points to cover and strategies for your interviews.
Moreover, being able to confidently walk the employer through the E3 application process, including providing an example of a Letter of Support, are essential tools in ensuring there are no issues in the onboarding process once you secure a job offer.
It’s not what you know…
There is a saying, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. This is an axiom that any Australian finding work in America quickly understands. Finding an Ally to help them understand the culture of a US corporation, or who would walk their Resume into Human Resources is an essential component of finding work.
Most importantly, the E3 University teaches you the Best Practices of finding dozens, if not hundreds of other potential Allies and how best to approach them as part of your Employment Plan.
How many Allies you find, and nurture, is a direct result of your motivation to find work and your ability to build relationships.
Connect with Australians Posting US Jobs
The E3 Visa Employment Group addresses a unique opportunity for Australians in finding jobs in America. Every day, Australians working in US corporations share positions in their LinkedIn feed. As you can imagine, an Australian promoting a US position in their company is certainly someone an Australian with the matching skills should know.
Importantly, every day new jobs are posted to the E3 Visa Employment Group across dozens of industries. Having the ability to directly reach out to that Australian on LinkedIn is invaluable and another reason for serious job seekers to connect with our E3 University.
Monthly Zoom Meetings
The foundation of The Australian Community’ ‘s E3 University is connecting Australians. Our monthly Zoom meetings are therefore designed to not only reinforce the best practices for finding jobs for Australians in America, but also to share the collective experience of other job seekers.
Further, to accommodate as many members as possible, they are held at 9:00PM Eastern US on a Friday night, which is Saturday in Eastern Australia. This timing facilitates Australians both in the US and Australia to attend these meetings.
You can click here to see when the next member meeting will be held.
In Summary:
Here are some essential resources provided by E3 University:
- A searchable database of US employers hiring Australians on the E3 visa.
- The prevailing wage for every recently approved E3 Visa.
- The annual salaries that US employers are paying Australians for specific roles, broken down by company and geography.
- The E3 Visa Employment Group on LinkedIn.
- Moving to the US for Aussies: The Book.
- Exclusive articles and videos on Best Practices for Finding Work in America.
- Exclusive Articles and videos explaining the E3 visa and why it is not the same as sponsorship on a H1B visa.
- Where in the World Australians are successfully applying for E3 visas.
- The “Perfect Resume.”
- How to use AI to elevate your Resume.
- Professional introductions.
- How to find “Australian Friendly” Allies and Recruiters anywhere in the US.
- Monthly Zoom meetings.
- Banking and Financial Solutions.
- Leveraging AI to find work.
- General Guidance.
Next Steps: Connect with the Community!
In Summary, there is no guarantee that every Australian seeking work in America will be successful. In this meritocracy, there are no prizes for participation. However, if an Australian does their homework, has a solid plan and is highly motivated to execute that plan effectively, they have a better than average chance of finding work in America.
Therefore, The Australian Community E3 University is our most comprehensive offering with connections to important resources, knowledge, potential Allies. It connects you to the experience of other Australians who have successfully found work.
Frequently Asked Questions
The E3 visa is a U.S. work visa exclusively for Australians with a job offer in a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Join The E3 University to access E3 job listings, employer connections, and job search strategies tailored for Australians.
The E3 visa is granted for two years and can be renewed indefinitely as long as you remain employed and can show financial or family ties to Australia.
Yes, you must have a valid job offer from a U.S. employer willing to sponsor your E3 visa application. The E3 University also provides a sample Letter of Support for your employer to sign.
Yes! E3 visa spouses (E3-S visa holders) receive immediate work authorization in the U.S. though a “S” designation in their passport upon entry into the U.S.
Yes, only 10,500 E3 visas are issued per year, but the cap has never been reached, making it a great option for Australians.
The primary cost is the U.S. consulate visa application fee (currently $315 USD). Employers do not have to pay costly sponsorship fees like with H-1B visas.
The E3 visa offers lower application costs, a renewable two-year validity, and allows spouses to apply for work authorization in the U.S.
You can use The E3 University’s online resources and tailored job search strategies to connect with E3 Friendly allies, employers and recruiters.
You will need a job offer from a U.S. employer, a Letter of Support, an approved Labor Condition Application (LCA), a valid passport, proof of qualifications, and a completed DS-160 form.
Yes, but your new employer must file a new LCA, and you must update your visa status before beginning the new role.
Processing times vary but generally take a few weeks. Scheduling a consular interview and obtaining an approved LCA are key factors in the timeline.
Yes! Spouses and dependents can receive an E3-D visa, and spouses can receive work authorization in the U.S. with the “S” designation in their passports.
You have a 60-day grace period to find a new employer and transfer your visa or leave the U.S. to avoid visa violations. Your I-94 must also extend beyond the 60 days.
Open US Bank and Credit Card Accounts from Australia and have instant access when you land!
Step 1: Open a US bank account before you leave Australia
The Australian Community offers a convenient and efficient way to open US bank and credit card accounts from Australia, even before you get a Social Security Number.
Step 2: Fund your newly opened US account with a Preferred Rate on AUD to USD negotiated for our Members with OFX.
Register and see why our Preferred Rate beats Australian Banks and major online FOREX services to stretch your AU Dollar further!
About The Australian Community.
Founded in 2011, we connect more Australians in America.
If you are a professional Australian taking your career to the next level, or the U.S. is the next step in your company's global expansion, we can connect you to all of the resources you need for success in America.
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