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E-3 Visa for Australians Thread- It's all in here

E-3 Visa for Australians Thread- It's all in here

Old Dec 20th 2010, 8:36 pm
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Default E-3 Visa for Australians Thread- It's all in here

Moderator's Note:
Welcome to 2011's E-3 thread. This is a continuation of the E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread which followed on from the E-3 2009 Visa thread.

These threads have personal experiences with E-3 first time and renewal applications, both in Australia and at US Consular posts elsewhere.

Please use the 'search this thread' feature to narrow down the posts and have a gander at what has already been posted. Bear in mind that visa application processes can change quickly, and always confirm any 'old' information.
end Mod note/meauxna

---------------------------------
Hello All,

I thought that some of you may have been interested in my E3 Visa renewal that I had processed today in Vancouver.

The most time consuming part turned out to be booking the appointment, I did that about 6 weeks ago using their online system, the appointment I got was for Monday Dec 20th at 10am.

I did all the DS-160 forms online and paid for the visa fees (at $390 per person for 4 of us was a sharp hike from last time). My employer took care of the LCA a while back so i was pretty well ready to go.
The family is staying in Vancouver so we drove and parked in the pay parking station almost directly across from the consulate, we arrived about 9am so we went and had a coffee just near the consulate.
We (wife and 2 kids)turned up at 940am as was immediately let in the ground floor for the initial security check. From here we went up to the first floor and waited in a large waiting room until we were called up to do our fingerprints. They fingerprinted my wife and I and then we sat down again. We were called up to the 20th floor at about 1120am. This is much more crowded with a small area to sit where you can basically listen to everyone go througuh the interview process. A moment of light relief when the Canadian family in front of us with two teenage children were asked by the interviewing officer if the son had some some issue at the border last time he crossed. The son was about 18 and was assuring his parents that nothing had happened and they were saying that they still loved him even if they had to leave him behind when they went back to the US in a week.
Anyhow we got called to the window and the interviewing officer asked if it was a renewal and I said yes and she asked when we would like to pick it up, I thought I would push the envelope and ask for today, she actually laughed (not an emotion often associated with US consular officials) and said we should be prepared for Wed afternoon but she would try to push it through for tomorrow. About 1 minute later after some furious typing she said we could come back tomorrow at 215pm and pick up our passports with our renewed E3's. She said that even though when you make the appointment they ask you for a DHL facility you would like to pick up your passports from, it is quicker for you to pick it up back at the consulate.
All done at exactly 12 noon. Back to the car and out of there.
I did not have to produce any supporting documentation, no job offer, degree, anything at all. The only other question she asked was whether I was still doing the same job, which I am.
I am not sure if this was a help to anyone but I often read of people asking about getting their visa in a country other than Australia and this was my experience.

Last edited by meauxna; Jan 11th 2011 at 4:32 pm.
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Old Dec 21st 2010, 4:08 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by luckydog
Hello All,

I thought that some of you may have been interested in my E3 Visa renewal that I had processed today in Vancouver.

The most time consuming part turned out to be booking the appointment, I did that about 6 weeks ago using their online system, the appointment I got was for Monday Dec 20th at 10am.

I did all the DS-160 forms online and paid for the visa fees (at $390 per person for 4 of us was a sharp hike from last time). My employer took care of the LCA a while back so i was pretty well ready to go.
The family is staying in Vancouver so we drove and parked in the pay parking station almost directly across from the consulate, we arrived about 9am so we went and had a coffee just near the consulate.
We (wife and 2 kids)turned up at 940am as was immediately let in the ground floor for the initial security check. From here we went up to the first floor and waited in a large waiting room until we were called up to do our fingerprints. They fingerprinted my wife and I and then we sat down again. We were called up to the 20th floor at about 1120am. This is much more crowded with a small area to sit where you can basically listen to everyone go througuh the interview process. A moment of light relief when the Canadian family in front of us with two teenage children were asked by the interviewing officer if the son had some some issue at the border last time he crossed. The son was about 18 and was assuring his parents that nothing had happened and they were saying that they still loved him even if they had to leave him behind when they went back to the US in a week.
Anyhow we got called to the window and the interviewing officer asked if it was a renewal and I said yes and she asked when we would like to pick it up, I thought I would push the envelope and ask for today, she actually laughed (not an emotion often associated with US consular officials) and said we should be prepared for Wed afternoon but she would try to push it through for tomorrow. About 1 minute later after some furious typing she said we could come back tomorrow at 215pm and pick up our passports with our renewed E3's. She said that even though when you make the appointment they ask you for a DHL facility you would like to pick up your passports from, it is quicker for you to pick it up back at the consulate.
All done at exactly 12 noon. Back to the car and out of there.
I did not have to produce any supporting documentation, no job offer, degree, anything at all. The only other question she asked was whether I was still doing the same job, which I am.
I am not sure if this was a help to anyone but I often read of people asking about getting their visa in a country other than Australia and this was my experience.
Dude, thank you for sharing ...congrats
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Old Jan 6th 2011, 9:58 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Hi, just a short update but no news to report. I'm still waiting to hear back from the company, although I got an email on Monday (three days ago) saying they were still keen to have me but were waiting on the approval from the higher-ups. I'm hoping the holiday season caused the delay, not anyone balking at the E-3 paperwork.

Anyway, I've been keeping an eye on visa wait times and Ottawa is still coming up with the shortest time. I'd love to hear from other people who have gotten their first E-3 recently, especially through Canada.

Thanks!
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Old Jan 11th 2011, 3:23 am
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Hey everyone,

Will I be OK with a 3 year Aussie Bachelor's degree (Griffith Uni) if I take my E3 interview in Melbourne?

I'm thinking I will be OK based on this:

If your degree and higher-level qualifications are from an Australian institution, you do not usually need to provide certified copies or evidence of their U.S. equivalent
But I realise now that it doesn't explicitly say that 3 year Australian degrees are acceptable.

I have my 3 year Aussie degree plus 4.5 years work experience (I have 12 years experience all up but some is pre-degree and the rest may be hard to prove.) Was thinking I could use my experience to bridge the missing year, if it's actually a problem.. but not too sure if you can mix+match like that?

Someone please tell me I still qualify

Cheers
pink
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Old Jan 11th 2011, 12:54 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Hi Everyone,
Over the last few days I've been reading through this thread since the initial posts from 2005. I've noticed that the E3 process has been evolving over time.

I'm in the process of applying for my own E3 visa. I'm in New York (VWP) and have a solid job offer in a telco. They are in the process of completing the LCA and I've completed the online DS-160 form. So far so good.

I intend to apply for the initial E3 visa in Vancouver (open to other Canadian posts). I do not intend to return to Australia as I need to begin working asap and Canada appears to be the best bet for a quick turn-around.

I have a few questions:

- I understand a lot of people renew their visa in Vancouver, but there's less talk about an initial application. Has anyone had success in recently appling for their initial E3 visa there?

- Degree equivalency. I have both an Australian bachelors and Masters degree. How do I go about getting these certified as US equivalent degrees? My uni was unable to help and pointed me to AEI in Washington (http://aei.gov.au/AEI/AboutAEI/AEICo...Washington.htm) but they were unable to assist. From what I've read, this isn't such a problem when applying in Australia. However, because I'll be applying in Canada, I want to make sure they were aware that my degrees have a US equivalent.

Thanks for your help!
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Old Jan 11th 2011, 4:18 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by dmzungu
Hi Everyone,
Over the last few days I've been reading through this thread since the initial posts from 2005. I've noticed that the E3 process has been evolving over time.

I'm in the process of applying for my own E3 visa. I'm in New York (VWP) and have a solid job offer in a telco. They are in the process of completing the LCA and I've completed the online DS-160 form. So far so good.

I intend to apply for the initial E3 visa in Vancouver (open to other Canadian posts). I do not intend to return to Australia as I need to begin working asap and Canada appears to be the best bet for a quick turn-around.

I have a few questions:

- I understand a lot of people renew their visa in Vancouver, but there's less talk about an initial application. Has anyone had success in recently appling for their initial E3 visa there?

- Degree equivalency. I have both an Australian bachelors and Masters degree. How do I go about getting these certified as US equivalent degrees? My uni was unable to help and pointed me to AEI in Washington (http://aei.gov.au/AEI/AboutAEI/AEICo...Washington.htm) but they were unable to assist. From what I've read, this isn't such a problem when applying in Australia. However, because I'll be applying in Canada, I want to make sure they were aware that my degrees have a US equivalent.

Thanks for your help!

Point 2 - I have a bachelors and Masters from Australia. Didn't have to provide any certification. My US attorney didn't ask me to get it done. Note: I also had some 8+ years experience. Also, my interview was in Sydney.
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Old Jan 11th 2011, 10:37 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by dmzungu
Degree equivalency. I have both an Australian bachelors and Masters degree. How do I go about getting these certified as US equivalent degrees? My uni was unable to help and pointed me to AEI in Washington (http://aei.gov.au/AEI/AboutAEI/AEICo...Washington.htm) but they were unable to assist. From what I've read, this isn't such a problem when applying in Australia. However, because I'll be applying in Canada, I want to make sure they were aware that my degrees have a US equivalent.

Thanks for your help!
I used the Trusteforte Corp: http://www.trustfortecorp.com/
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Old Jan 12th 2011, 2:00 am
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by pinkhandbag
Hey everyone,

Will I be OK with a 3 year Aussie Bachelor's degree (Griffith Uni) if I take my E3 interview in Melbourne?

I'm thinking I will be OK based on this:



But I realise now that it doesn't explicitly say that 3 year Australian degrees are acceptable.

I have my 3 year Aussie degree plus 4.5 years work experience (I have 12 years experience all up but some is pre-degree and the rest may be hard to prove.) Was thinking I could use my experience to bridge the missing year, if it's actually a problem.. but not too sure if you can mix+match like that?

Someone please tell me I still qualify

Cheers
pink
Update: I rang Canberra's $3/minute line and they said a 3-year Australian Bachelor's degree is sufficient provided it's relevant to the position. No U.S.-equivalency needed.

I appreciate it's probably a case-by-case thing but it's at least promising to hear
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Old Jan 12th 2011, 2:11 am
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by augigi
I used the Trusteforte Corp: http://www.trustfortecorp.com/
What type of degree and length, if you don't mind me asking?

Just in case the company lawyer forces me to do this, I'd be interested to know of a place that's likely to equate my 3-year AU Bachelor of IT (+ 4.5 years of progressive post-baccalaureate experience) with a US bachelor's degree.

Or even just any success story of having a 3-year AU degree deemed equivalent to a US bachelor's.
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Old Jan 12th 2011, 4:37 am
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by pinkhandbag
Or even just any success story of having a 3-year AU degree deemed equivalent to a US bachelor's.
This is not immigration/official advice, but so you know: the general understanding is that a 3 year AU/UK Bachelors is equivalent to a 4 year US Bachelors. Things like vague entry requirements (in contrast to strict VCE/HSC prerequisites) and general ed requirements bloat programs considerably.

It seems to be well understood here that 'the British system' advances very quickly (at the expense of breadth.)
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Old Jan 12th 2011, 11:38 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by retzie
This is not immigration/official advice, but so you know: the general understanding is that a 3 year AU/UK Bachelors is equivalent to a 4 year US Bachelors. Things like vague entry requirements (in contrast to strict VCE/HSC prerequisites) and general ed requirements bloat programs considerably.

It seems to be well understood here that 'the British system' advances very quickly (at the expense of breadth.)
Ah that's very comforting to hear! So when you say "general understanding" does that include evaluation firms in the USA? In other words, I can be pretty confident my 3 year AU degree will be equivalent if I send it to any of these places people have recommended in the thread?
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Old Jan 13th 2011, 1:39 am
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by pinkhandbag
Ah that's very comforting to hear! So when you say "general understanding" does that include evaluation firms in the USA? In other words, I can be pretty confident my 3 year AU degree will be equivalent if I send it to any of these places people have recommended in the thread?
Actually, I meant that many 'normal' people seem to know this - the evaluation firms have to!

I have not paid a lot of attention to this issue over the course of these threads, but I think there are many cases of people being fine just with their AU degree alone. Since you are interviewing in Oz, I doubt that you really need any equivalence certification at all - it seems to be more of an issue for those applying at non-AU consulates, where they might not be familiar with our system.
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Old Jan 15th 2011, 3:44 am
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Default Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread

Originally Posted by retzie
Actually, I meant that many 'normal' people seem to know this - the evaluation firms have to!

I have not paid a lot of attention to this issue over the course of these threads, but I think there are many cases of people being fine just with their AU degree alone. Since you are interviewing in Oz, I doubt that you really need any equivalence certification at all - it seems to be more of an issue for those applying at non-AU consulates, where they might not be familiar with our system.
Ah OK. Yeah the consulate in Canberra said there's no need, I guess I just have to tactfully convince the company lawyer of this Although hopefully by the sounds of it the evaluation will be successful anyway. Thanks retzie.
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Old Jan 21st 2011, 6:21 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa for Australians Thread- It's all in here

I've been following this forum for a long long time. I've currently on my 3rd E-3 visa. First two were with one employer (both applications were done in Canada) and more recently (late last year) I changed employer and this new visa was also done in Canada. All without issues.

Like many people- I was also interested in doing the visa renewal's / transfer to new employer from within the U.S.- but (like most people) it all seems a bit convoluted (particularly that lack of detailed info on whether you an start work with the new employer before the transfer is approved) and going to the great white north was always the easier option.

Due to unforeseen circumstances- I'm going to have to change employer again. Rather than me, my wife and young baby (U.S. Citizen) all going to Canada again to get new visas- I was thinking of doing it a little differently and I'm interested if anyone can see a hole in my idea.

1. I go to Canada alone and get a new E3 Visa for myself.

2. When I get back to the U.S., my wife files for status adjustment to her E3D.

3. When we are home in Australia at Christmas time, then my wife gets a proper E3D visa at that time.

We could all go the Canada like we did last time- but finding a babysitter whilst we were at the embassy was a right pain and it not fair to drag the baby to Canada and hole up in a hotel for several days in the middle of winter. Been there, done that.

Anyone see any issues with my idea? Thanks for any insight people may have.
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Old Jan 23rd 2011, 10:59 pm
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Default Re: E-3 Visa for Australians Thread- It's all in here

Hi Everyone

I am currently working on E3 visa , and i want to change employer .I have a valid visa until 2012 june .

My question is for changeing employer do i need to cross the broder and get new visa or can my employer file I 129 petition.

which is quciker and easier as my new employer wants me to start As early possible.

Please suguuest.
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