Visas

E3 Visas - When Australia and the United States of America signed the Free Trade Agreement, a new type of visa, the E-3, was created for Australia professionals. There are 10,500 visas available each year. The visa is valid for one year and can be extended in increments of one year.  The Australian Ambassador in Washington recently told a gathering of AUSTRADE employees, that other countries were lobbying for the same visa privileges. The E-3 visa applications are available at any overseas United States of America Consulate. For further information go to: http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/us/e3_visa.html

462 Visas - Patrick Defors recently applied for a work and holiday visa in Australia, with the plan of playing football and working while there. Here are his thoughts on the visa application process for those of you who may be interested in pursuing this:   

'The visa that I received is a Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462).  For me it provided the most manageable requirements of the different visas.  There were a number of different options for different age groups, reasons for visit, work exchange programs, and such; so each option should be explored.  The Australian Embassy here in the US provided great assistance whenever I needed help with a question or clarification.  They have a direct line that has no wait time for help.     

While on the phone with the Embassy, they said that the usual wait time for an electronic visa (for citizens of the United States) is 48 hours to 2 weeks.  In some cases the approval process can take 4 weeks, depending on if they require additional information or forms.  In my case I applied for my visa on Monday (Oct 5) at 4:30 pm and received my visa on Tuesday (Oct 6) at 3 pm.  The overall time was less than 24 hours.  But, it was recommended that a person should not make travel plans before they have a visa.  

For my particular visa, I have a 3 month window (from the day the visa was granted) as to when I can enter Australia.  But, I do have certain restrictions such as a 6 month limit on employment.  I can only work for 6 consecutive months with a single employer; at that time I need to seek new employment.  Other visas work in different ways, so again, each one should be explored.   

The web contains many different sites that can provide a person with an Australian visa.  But, in my searching I only found one site (maybe it's because the online submission is so new) that allows a person to submit an application online for a work visa.  The Department of Immigration and Citizenship website (the actual Australian site) is the site I used and which provides all the necessary information.  The process is a simple step-by-step online form which outlines all the requirements of the visa.  It took me less than 25 minutes to complete the entire form.  

I guess the main takeaways are these:

1.      Each visa should be explored based on the person's life situation.
2.      Make travel arrangements after a visa is granted (for safety's sake): approval process can take up to 4 weeks.
3.      Use the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website (provides all necessary information) for online work permit submissions.
4.      Australian Embassy in the United States is a great resource for answering questions (quick and knowledgeable staff).
5.      A visa is granted based on the assumption that a person will meet the requirements when the traveler enters Australia, not at the time of the application.' 

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