Tag Archives: e3 visa employers

E3 Visa Biggest Challenges

The E3 Visa as you know is an extensive topic covered on this site and along with the Green Card, Green Card Lottery and H1B visa, are the most commonly asked questions on this site from our readers.
However lately we have noticed hat as the economy seems to be slowly waking up from its slumber in the US, many more Australians are asking questions as to how they can get to the US and find a job with an employer who will sponsor their E3 visa.

As we have covered that top extensively from the above links, we won’t rewrite the same information here but will try and an address some of the more common questions we are seeing lately and relate it as much as possible to the current economic climate for foreigners in the US.

So one of the more positive signs is that many foreigners who come to the US on an F1 Visa for Students for undergraduate, masters and PhD level degrees as their stepping stone to finding employment in the US have found their job prospects in recent months greatly improved. The greatest evidence of this comes from the H1B visa quota numbers which in our recent US Immigration December update which at the end of the US Immigration year on September 30, 2009 still had approximately 20,000 H1B visas unfilled. In recent years this quota has filled up in a matter of few days after the April 1 opening with even an H1B visa lottery, so this shows how much has changed in the 2009 climate of fear.

Well as of the latest update as we noted there is now only 2,500 left as the USCIS extended the time so the quota would be filled for FY2010. Most of these no doubt would have been taken up by students on F1 visas on their OPT who were already residing in the US. Job opening particularly in the skilled professional areas of Health, Education, Alternative Energy and Internet are high and even areas like Finance are picking up evermore.

However despite all this positive news, the challenge remains for Australians wanting to work in the US is that most of you are not in the US as a student or a J1 Visa Internship program, that yes while their are more opening and the market prospects are not as bleak that still doesn’t overcome the geographical and other hurdles of convincing a US employer to hire and sponsor you.

We have had recent questions from people asking about whether they could look for jobs that are completely different to their qualifications and/or experience. In general, this is possible, but you do not want to deviate to far as when you go for your US Consulate Interview, this may be a reason they could deny your visa if they deem their is little link between what you can offer and the job you will do.

Essentially the goal of hiring a foreigner as per the US Immigration language is to fill a role that they can’t find a suitable local to do. While this not necessarily what happens in practice, it is cited as a reason for denial when the candidate and job are seen as too far apart by the US Consulate.

People have also asked whether they could get 2 part time jobs on the E3 visa. This is certainly possible and an avenue that many people explore successfully. The additional requirement here is that each employer must file for ETA-9035(e) with the US Department of Labor to get an approved LCA. Then at your US Consulate interview you may have to answer questions as to how you will successfully navigate working for 2 companies simultaneously.

A couple of recent questions have also asked about the E3 Visa quota of 10,500 and whether it had been reached. Well there is no official tally anywhere and the only way to know for sure is to possibly try and ring the USCIS and see if they have a number. However in any particular year, we have not even got close that quota being fulled and not even sure if we have even got to the 60% full either. Additionally, extensions and renewals of the E3 Visa don’t count towards the quota and nor do the spouse or children dependent E3-D visas. Finally the quota resets each year on October 1. So this US Immigration year known as FY2011 has only just started.

Back to the challenge of finding employers from so far away. We created the E3 Visa Employer Database to try and help you for this as these are companies who are familiar with the E3 visa specifically and sponsoring foreigners as they have hired before so if contacting them or applying to open positions their it wont be as big a shock. However you may notice on many application forms that they ask whether you have work authorization as a question. The true answer to that question is NO as unless you have a working visa that allows you to work at a moments notice, then for that company to hire you they will have to do more than just hire you. Often it can pay to avoid those company as they usually reject outright if they are asking this question or if you are applying for a fairly standard (non highly specialized role) position, then it will be hard to stand out so much that they would hire a foreigner over an equally qualified US candidate given the simpler and quicker process.

Because of all this it can often pay to apply to smaller and medium size companies or contact people within companies directly and make use of recruiters which are a big part of US hiring culture at all levels. Use LinkedIn as a great resource to make contact with both recruiters and hiring people at companies you identify.

Finally as I have mentioned in other posts addressing this topic, be prepared to come to the US for interviews and pay some costs like travel to achieve your goal. It is rare you are going to be hired sight unseen and also that the first company that sees you will hire you, or that it will even be a one step interview process if you are going to be hired. I would say there would be a minimum of 3 contacts for a successful hire with one phone interview and 2 face to faces.

Again I wish you all the best and look forward to you posting your experiences here to help the community.

CJ

E3 Visa FAQs & Myths

We have done so many posts on the E3 visa you may wonder what else there is to cover.

As a quick update we have;
E3 Visa General Information
E3 Visa US Consulate Interview
Transfer to an E3 Visa from another US Visa
E3D Visa – spouse and dependent visa for the E3 Visa
Step by Step Guide to your E3 Visa
Social Security & Healthcare while on the E3 Visa
Getting a job on the E3 Visa
Explaining the E3 Visa to an employer
Going to a Green Card from the E3 Visa
How much does the E3 Visa application cost?
Extending, Renewing or Changing Employers on the E3 Visa
E3 Visa Renewal without US Consulate Interview
How Does the E3 Visa Differ from the H1B visa
E3 Visa Job Information
E3 Visa Employer Database (exclusive)
E3 Visa Bachelors Degree and Specialty Occupation conditions explained
E3 Visa Bachelors Degree Proof If You Have No Degree
E3 Visa Demonstrate Residence Abroad condition explained
E3 Visa concepts explained in easy to understand language
Do I need a lawyer for the E3 Visa process?
Laid off on the E3 Visa

So as you can see we have a very comprehensive list of resources for you to access and read up upon at your leisure to become fully versed in everything that the E3 visa has to offer as well as its limitations. Additionally in many of our other posts there is further information that is relevant to E3 visa holders as well so the resources we have for you become endless 🙂

However we thought we would provide something new and extra here as we like to do as we did the E3 visa only employer database above. There are so few resources specific to the E3 visa that we like to help bring some attention to it, to help you all out.

Based on the feedback and comments we get everyday and to us have been surprisingly overwhelming from individuals, employers, agencies and the corporate sector, we think there is a couple of additional tips we can provide for you to help clarify some myths and help you on your way.

1. If you are in a sector like Trade or Construction or something in the Arts or Sport, the E3 visa is probably not suitable for you in most instances. The H2B visa while not perfect is more suitable with trade type roles, although there are many limitations. The O visa category is better when you are talking about area like the Arts or Sport.

2. The E3 visa interview is a very straightforward process if you plan ahead and have all your documentation ahead of time. Ensure you have paid your application fee prior to going (done at Australia Post if applying in Australia), have a US size passport photo (larger than what you normally have in Australia), have an express pre-paid return envelope for them to send your passport back and my extra tip book your interview for earlier in the day as that tends to mean a much shorter time spent at the US consulate. It can be multiple hours in there waiting. Also note you can’t take mobile phones in the interview area so have to leave them with security or iPods, so take a book as your only form of entertainment while waiting.

3. You can certainly apply for E3 Visa at US consulates around the world but NOT within the US unless you are transferring from another set selction of US visa types (does not include tourist visa waiver program). The processes are slightly different depending on the US consulate you apply at in different countries, however the best thing is to know the process and payment procedures thoroughly prior to attending your interview.

Good Luck,
CJ