Australians have at their disposal a unique E-3 visa category which provides the visa holder with a 2 year renewable working visa. The E-3 visa was signed into law in 2005 by President George Walker Bush as part of the U.S. – Australia Free Trade Agreement and it has now been in place for 10 years. The E-3 visa holder’s spouse is also entitled to work in the U.S., which makes the visa even more attractive.
The E-3 visa is the easiest method for Australians to work within the U.S. as it has a relatively quick processing time and a generous quota which has never been met.
Importantly, no other country has access to E-3 visas, so you are not competing in what is known as the ‘Green Card lottery'.
To be eligible for the E-3 visa, you must be an Australian citizen, have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience) and a job offer from a U.S. company in a “specialty occupation”. There is no definitive list of eligible occupations but they include a wide variety of professions and occupations.
Furthermore, the E-3 visa program is flexible enough to accommodate entrepreneurs who want to enter the U.S. market by either moving their Australian business to the U.S. or by starting up a new business in America.
