E-3 visa lawyer for Australians in California.

This page is for Australians whose job, or whose plan, is in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, or San Diego. The E-3 is a federal visa. USCIS limits it to nationals of Australia coming to perform services in a specialty occupation. A California worksite does not make the E-3 a matter of California state law, and the federal visa does not require a lawyer admitted in California. The full map of the visa is the E-3 visa guide. How it compares with the H-1B is in E-3 visa vs H-1B.

Sectors, in general terms

Jobs in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego sit in many sectors. Technology, entertainment, life sciences, and finance are examples, not a finding from the DOL file and not a list of employers. Nothing here says that a particular company sponsors E-3s, or that a particular title is a specialty occupation. Whether the role qualifies is covered in specialty occupation.

Some occupations also need a license or other official permission before the person can start work. USCIS says so on the E-3 page. Whether a given California job needs a state license is California state law. This practice does not advise on that.

The LCA follows the California worksite

The employer files the Labor Condition Application for the place of employment. USCIS asks for an LCA that supports the E-3, and for the worker to be paid the higher of the actual wage or the prevailing wage. A wage figure for one city is not a wage figure for another. How that system works is in the LCA guide. Employers preparing a California filing can also read the employer package.

The only California numbers on this page come from the firm's note on the Department of Labor's FY2026 third-quarter disclosure, The Q3 filing drop was a mix shift, not a wage reset. In that quarter, New York, California, and Texas were 65.41% of E-3 LCA filings: 734, 536, and 205. San Francisco was 153. Los Angeles was 55. California's median offered wage in those filings rose from $165,797 to $172,453, while the state's filing count slipped from 548 to 536.

Those are offered wages in public LCA filings. They are not prevailing-wage levels and not visa approvals. The note does not, in the lines cited here, give a separate San Diego count. Do not read a missing city line as a finding that San Diego had no filings.

Change of status, or a visa interview

There are two federal paths, and they are not interchangeable.

If you are already in the United States in another status, USCIS uses Form I-129 to request a change of status to E-3 or an extension of stay. The same USCIS page says a change of employer also needs a certified LCA and an approved Form I-129 before you are authorised to work for the new employer. How the choice depends on the status you hold now is in E-3 change of status from inside the US.

If you are applying from Australia, the visa is a consular application. Nonimmigrant interviews for Australia are at the U.S. Consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. The steps are in the E-3 visa application process. A job in California does not move that interview to a consulate in California.

Spouse and children

USCIS says an E-3 worker's spouse and unmarried children under 21 are entitled to dependent E-3 classification. Children may not work. Spouses in valid E-3 or E-3S status are employment authorized incident to status. An unexpired Form I-94 with the E-3S notation is List C evidence of that authorization for Form I-9. An employment authorization document is optional. Spouses are not required to file Form I-765. The longer account, including the marriage requirement and the older I-94 codes, is E-3D dependent status. Living in California does not change those federal rules.

Pacific Time evenings

Consultations are scheduled for Pacific Time evenings. That is daytime in Sydney and Melbourne, so you do not need to be in California to have the conversation. The paid consultation is one hour, A$300, paid when you book. It is legal advice on the facts you bring. It is not an engagement to file the case. The free 15-minute call is general information, not legal advice. Fees for the application itself are on the pricing page.