alliesv

Ian, thanks for replying.

Does me having a job in Australia help to prove that I'll leave US??

ian-mstm

Not really, no. However, having your employer write a letter indicating that you're expected to return on whatever specific date would certainly help.

Ian

lifehouse51

In the visa applications, there're questions asking if any of your relatives is in the U.S. I believe there's one specifically about parents, not sure if there's one about spouse. It's just be one factor of consideration, and by itself doesn't prevent you from getting a visa.

Proof of intent to leave the U.S. when your E-3 status is over seems to be very variable. I never got asked for any proof when I applied for my visa. However, at the minimum, maintain a home address in australia, and bring your bank account statements, etc. with you to the interview.

Since your wife is a PR, you may want to have her petition you for PR as well. If you're going to use E-3, send the petition after you've entered on E-3 status, to avoid any potential complication. Also, if your position doesn't qualify for E-3, see if the company can sponsor you on other types of visas (J visa maybe?)

Yamoo

Hi, I'm filling out my DS 160 form and it asks for the approved LCA number. On my form I can see my case number, however that starts with the letter I and when I put it in the DS form rejects it saying it should only be numerals. Is the approved LCA number somewhere else on the LCA form that I'm not seeing?

Thanks so much.

retzie

I think that's the right number. Just leave off the I

aussiegrad

Thanks for the update. Let me know how the interview goes. You are going to the Sydney Consulate right?

I finally heard back from my prospective employer. They took forever because they basically handed everything off to their attorney. They finally submitted the LCA form last Friday March 4th, so I'm just waiting on that to be approved now.

How long did it take for your LCA to be approved?

E3only

Upto a few months ago, the LCA approval took exactly 7 calendar days.

Yamoo

Hi,

Thanks for all the help. I now have an approved E3!

I'll give a rundown of how my interview process worked. I was told I had an approved LCA last week - I believe mine took 7 working days to be approved although I don't know the exact date they submitted. Since I was already in Sydney, I had the original LCA and offer letter couriered to me, while I made an appointment for this week. I looked for an appointment on March 1 and the earliest slot I could get was March 9.

The original documents arrived to me in time, thankfully. This is what I took to the interview:

Completed DS 160 form, just the confirmation page
Printed appointment confirmation page
Original LCA
Original job offer letter
Academic transcripts
Bank statements
Passport
Self-addressed Express Post Platinum envelope
Receipt of payment from Aus Post

In the interview (which was less than five minutes long) I was asked:
What visa are you applying for?
Is this your first E3 visa?
What will the job entail?
What is your highest level of education?

And then I was approved! The only documents that they took/used were the DS 160 page, the receipt of payment, the LCA form, the passport and the envelope.

When leaving (I arrived at 8:45am and left at 10am) I noticed many more people waiting downstairs at security than there were when I went through. So try and get an earlier appointment as I'm sure it's less wait.

One other thing. I was nervous about what to wear, so I dressed for a job interview, thinking that I would be meeting someone in their office. However, it's just talking to a guy at a counter so he never saw my snappy outfit and I stressed for nothing. I guess it made me look professional... maybe.

Ok, I hope that helps someone! Thanks again to all who answered my silly questions.

lifehouse51

Congrats! I think the E-3 application process is actually fairly straightforward for a lot of people. They probably will have more questions for positions titles that sound like they may or may not require a Bachelor's degree.

aussiegrad

Congratulations! Glad the process is finally completed for you. Now you just have to make that long flight back and you're all set.

Still waiting on my LCA to be certified. Hopefully it will be done by early next week. I'll keep you posted.

Congrats again!

rwalker

Hello everyone,

Flying to Aus in a couple of weeks to renew my E3 for the second time. Just noticed that the new LCA my employer gave me starts a few weeks after I'm due to fly back to the US. My current LCA covers that period of time however. Will I have any problems?

lifehouse51

Does your PREVIOUS LCA covers the gap period of time? If so then you should be fine, but you may wanna bring both your current and previous LCA with you in case there are questions.

If not, it may be a problem because legally you can only enter the U.S. up to 10 days before your work start day, which will be the beginning of the LCA approval date. I'm not sure how strictly this is enforced at the border. I wasn't asked to see my LCA when I entered the U.S.

rwalker

Yeah that's right, my previous one covers the time. I'll make sure I have that one with me too.

I've never been asked for my LCA at the border either, but I assumed that if my previous LCA didn't cover me then the visa issued wouldn't be valid until the new one started and I wouldn't be even able to get on the flight until then.

Thanks mate, I'll try to update here once done to explain how it went.

Cannon

Hi I have a question about degrees...

I have a B.Sc (bachelor of science) with a psychology major. Nothing higher

As the subject of psychology is broad, it can encompass things from social work to working as an HR manager, and even in sales.

Has anyone gotten, or know of anyone who has been granted a visa with the use of a psychology major in a bachelors degree?

I was thinking of getting a job in aged care.

Please help! I am very nervous and want this badly.

lifehouse51

I think you'll be fine. Getting a new LCA doesn't invalidate your old LCA.

Did you notice that the LCA is not approved for a specific person? It doesn't have your name anywhere on there, and only the employement start and end dates are specific to you. It also looks like you can have the same LCA approved for multiple employees, and they can probably all use copies of the same LCA approval.