I'm Australian and have always wondered about how easy it is to get an E-3 visa. What does it take from the sponsoring companies side to actually do it and get me over there?
We handle a lot of E-3 visas and it's arguably the easiest U.S. work visa to get both from a company standpoint and an applicant/employee standpoint. The company requirements are minimal. For example, startups with limited or no revenue and limited or no funding can sponsor an E-3 visa. That being said, there is a prevailing wage requirement so a company - while it doesn't need to demonstrate to a U.S. Consulate its ability to pay a specific wage - in the end has to be able to pay a specific wage.
I'm stuck on the part of finding a job offer for the E3. Is there a path you recommend to that or is it just the same as anyone finding a job? I've got a limited network, I met someone at a party recently who leads a company in California but i'm reluctant to ask for a job.
Australian who's been in the USA almost a decade in 4 different roles, each requiring a new E3 as well as multiple E3 renewals;
I've found that companies are pretty eager once they hear that you only need an E3 visa. Unlike H1B the quota for E3 visas are never hit. Companies view it as a very straightforward and guaranteed process.
Assuming the company files their side of the paperwork in a timely manner, From accepting a role you can be working in the USA within 2 months end to end. The consulate appointments in Syd/Mel are the biggest pain point. It takes some refreshing since they are booked out for months at a time and you need to look for cancellations each day. That's literally the biggest pain point though, everything else is painless.
West coast climate and culture is the same as East coast Australia so that part is straightforward. Easy to make friends and a good life in that aspect.
For work-life balance I will acknowledge the biggest boom times are over. It was ridiculous at one point and the best move of my life. Nowadays though all big tech are starting to adopt some form of stack ranking and demands and pressure are going up while benefits are falling so it's not nearly as good as it once was.
Big tech is still ~5x take home pay though. I see a stint of working in the USA as necessary given Australian house prices. Do it for as long as you can stand, don't live up to the lifestyle of the wages. The net result is a big win for your life. As in if you work here for a year and get hit with layoffs? You'll still have 5x in savings for that year as you would have had in Australia.
warning you might end up with an american partner and get stuck there, ask me how i know :). But yeah, the comp difference is crazy, if we ever move back to aus we will have set ourselves up for a very nice life with our US earned savings.
Plus, far more interesting companies to choose from.
