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Immigration: Immigration Info for Faculty and Scholars

E-3 Visa Category: For Specialty Occupation Faculty who are citizens of Australia

The E-3 Nonimmigrant Classification allows for the admission of a temporary worker who is a citizen of Australia and is entering the U.S. to perform services in a "specialty occupation". The prospective applicant must have a Bachelor's degree or higher in the field for which he or she is applying to work in.

The International Center will guide the Tufts sponsoring department on the E-3 application process. It will be necessary for us to demonstrate that the position meets prevailing wage as per the Department of Labor (through an approved Labor Condition Application).

The E-3 category is initially granted for a period of no more than two years.

Extensions of stay may be granted indefinitely in increments not to exceed two years.

There is an annual cap of 10,500 for "new" E-3 applicants. The cap does not apply to people extending their E-3 status. Visas for spouses and children do not count against this number.

Dependents of the E-3 category may apply to receive work authorization.

The E-3 category does NOT have dual intent. Anyone in the U.S. holding a permanent position or one with permanent intent, such as a tenure-track position should not be on E-3 status. An H-1B would be more appropriate as it does allow for immigrant intent.

There is an internal Tufts fee of $1,000 to be charged to the Tufts department for the processing of an E-3 petition. This fee cannot legally be passed onto the prospective employee. There are other E-3 related fees which will be described by the International Center. The fees vary depending on whether or not it is an "Initial" or "Extension" of E-3 category.

Learn more about the E-3 category >>