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

Most of them won't care if you are in the country. The best is to reach out of them, tell them you are not wasting their time and the timeline of you being in the US. That way, you get a bit of a leverage.

I found, once I was concrete with my plans the folks here were generally ready to listen.

By far, you are going to find a job based on your networking capabilities mate. Recruiters have perhaps 20-30 people whom they can place and who require no visa. ...

Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread
 

Dear dmzungu

I was wondering if you can spare a time for clarifications as I am in
the same boat. I was wondering if you can email me on [email]removed[email]
regarding the procedure. I am currently in California on a visa waiver program
and have found an employer. They prefer using a lawyer to assist me to obtain my
E-3 visa. For some reason, the lawyer has suggested for me to contact the Vancouver
consulate to double check if this is possible. I mentioned to the lawyer of 2 friends
from Australia who got their E-3 visas in Vancouver however he suggests otherwise.
I had difficulty getting through their visa application trunkline for some reason.

About your degree equivalency, I used IERF (International Education Research Foundation)
http://www.ierf.org

- they were very prompt and organized in providing my equivalency report, if you still
need one.

All the best

Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread
 

You should never post your email address in a public forum. Further, we actively discourage people contacting others privately to discuss immigration issues.

Ian

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

Hi,

I've posted before, situation is the same but it's taking a while. I just got final approval for the job, the employer just needs to fill out the LCA (ETA Form 9035). I was wondering if anyone knew the best site to find this form - when I Google it this site:

http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/preh1bform.cfm

has a problem loading. Is that just my computer, do you think the site is down or am I looking at the wrong thing?

Would appreciate any help on this matter. Thanks!

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

Yamoo, that site is not loading for me and is timing out on ping too. Try later.

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

Working now.

Not the first time that this site has broken. When my current employers' lawyers were trying to lodge my last LCA it was down for ~5 days...

Re: E-3 Visa 2010 Running Thread
 

The official answer is at http://www.usvisa-info.com/en-CA/sel..._united_states and is basically that they strongly recommend you applying for the visa in your home country.

Numerous people here have had success getting renewals and/or new visas for a different employer in Canada, but the criteria for those visa is different to that for a new applicant. If you already have an E3, then the presumption is that you have already passed the requirements for your degree/etc, so the Canadian embassy isn't making a call on that. For a new visa, they are.

Personally I'd be heading back to Australia rather than taking the risk. Yes, it'll probably cost you more, but it's significantly lower risk than finding yourself being denied a visa in Canada and then not being allowed re-enter the US.

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

Great. I spoke to the employer on Friday and they said that they were able to get it. Now I just need to wait for it to be approved!

Thanks for your help.

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

Presuming there's no issues, it'll be 7 days, almost to the minute...

They used to be approved (almost) instantly, but it seems something changed a year or so back, and they now take exactly 7 days.

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

Yeah, I can vouch for that.

When attorney to my employer filed tjhey said the same thing - 7 days to the minute and indeed it was 7 days...

If all is well, you should have an approval in 7 days.

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

Thanks for all that great info, summed up what I needed to know.

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

Thank you and docnetau.

One more question, the completed/approved LCA, is that a physical document or just an approval number? I ask because I may leave NY for Aus before the approval comes through. If it is a physical document that I need, I guess I could get it couriered to me, right?

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

It's a document that needs to be printed out and signed by the employer.

I'm not sure if a faxed/scanned-and-printed version is acceptable, or if you'd need to get it sent by courier.

The LCA is the one document that they do actually keep after the interview (you get it back when you get your passport/visa back), so it's the one thing that you really want to make sure is it line to avoid problems...

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

Although I agree with the point you're making (ie, this isn't a H-1B we're talking about), I'd be careful with a few of those points...

There are expenses to getting an E-3, especially given that most companies are going to go through a lawyer to get the paperwork sorted, plus presuming you're expecting them to pay the application fee don't forget that they went up a year or so back. In the scheme of things it's not much (and if you've gone to them direct it's going to be much less than they would pay a receuiting agency!), but it's certainly not "no expense'.

With the new application procedure, there are delays. LCA will take at least a week (my last one took 2 due to a trivial mistake made by their lawyers), and only then can you book the interview, which could take another few weeks (or more) to get into depending on where you are going. All up my last E-3 took around a month to get, and that's only because I went back to Australia to get it - if I'd tried Canada it would have been longer.

It's still a good point to make to get people away from thinking of H-1B style fees/delays, but the fewer specific details you can give the better...

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

Hi Everyone,
I've now started working in my new role, with an E3 Visa!

Here's a bit of a run-down on what I encountered.

My employer paid for an immigration lawyer, who re-iterated most of what's on these forums. However, one very important point was added:

If you are in the USA on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), you cannot get an E3 visa in Canada if you travel there directly. The lawyers have told me that Canada is now strict on this rule. The appointment system will let you book an interview, but once you get there, you'll be rejected. The lawyers confirmed that you can renew your E3 visa in Canada.

I travelled to London from NYC for my E3 interview. The lawyers said it is a good place for E3's as they are familiar with the requirements and have a fast turn-around time. I was able to book via phone a few days in advance. I booked an 8:30am interview and turned up just after 8am. I waited outside in the line for about 35mins to pass through security. Note that you cannot take ANY electronics inside. This includes mobile phones and also any electronic keys or car remotes. You cannot take large bags inside. This includes backpacks, day bags or briefcases. If you have these, you'll be asked to leave and get rid of them. There's a few places near by that rent lockers. I saw people get asked to leave because they had an electronic keypass, and also not all the paperwork. Don't panic if this happens, as even though you'll then be late for your interview, they aren't strict on interview times.

You'll need the receipts for the interview booking, e3 fees, approved LCA, etc. I also had a letter of support from my employer stating my role and that a uni education was required.

Once inside, I waited for about 20-30mins before I was called to the first window. They took my application and passport and asked me to sit back down and wait for the interview. Another 1hr or so wait and I was called to the interview window. 5mins later I was approved. Pretty simple questions that you will know about the new job, your qualifications etc. They didn't ask to see my actual qualifications (we used trustforte to get the certified comparison). It was all completed by 11:30am.

I paid for expedited courier, about another 20 pounds(!) on top of the courier fee. I had my interview on Monday morning and my passport arrived at my address at 6:15am Thursday morning so I was able to fly back to NYC at noon. When you pay for the courier they will tell you when to expect delivery.

When entering the US, you need to make sure they have the full 2yr timeframe written on the white form that's stapled into your passport. It's two years from the LCA approval date, not 2yrs from the Visa issuance date.

Hope this helps!