Working visa for Hawaii from Australia

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Working visa for Hawaii from Australia

Australian specialty occupation workers

Created in 2005, E-3 visas are available only to Australian citizens coming to the U.S. temporarily to perform a specialty occupation. The position you plan to fill must require theoretical and practical application of a body of professional knowledge. At a minimum, you must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent expertise.

E-3 eligibility criteria

  • Australian citizenship
  • A legitimate offer of work in the U.S.
  • The required academic and professional credentials
  • You will occupy a specialty position

Meeting the E-3 eligibility criteria can be complex; if you plan on working in the U.S. as an Australian specialty occupation worker, consult with a professional immigration lawyer to ensure that you meet the requirements.

Applying for an E-3 visa

Your future employer must file a Labor Conditions Application (LCA) with the Department of Labor, and a form I-129 with United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS). A business immigration attorney should guide your employer through the filing process. The I-129 must contain:

  • Proof of Australian citizenship
  • A letter from your employer in the U.S., describing your occupation, your planned length of stay, and any salary arrangements
  • Evidence that the job offered normally requires at least a bachelor’s degree in a specific field
  • Evidence that you meet the educational requirements for the visa (a bachelor’s degree or equivalent for your specialty)
  • Evidence that you meet other licensing and occupational requirements
  • Evidence that your prospective employer has filed an LCA with the Department of Labor

Period of stay/extension of stay

The initial period of stay is two years. Additional extensions of two years may be filed without limit.

Change of employer

If you change employers, your new employer must file another LCA and a new E-3 visa application on your behalf. The time between jobs may be no more than ten days.

Family

You may bring your spouse and children under the age of 21 to the U.S. under an E-3 visa. In addition, spouses may apply for an employment authorization document to work in the United States. The process usually takes about three months.

Depending on whether you are filing for an E-3 visa from Australia or from within the United States, the requirements differ greatly. If you desire assistance with any of these filings, contact an immigration lawyer. The Law Offices of KahBo Dye-Chiew, immigration attorney, can help you arrange and plan your legal U.S. employment.

Get assistance from an immigration attorney

If you are an Australian specialty occupation worker wanting to obtain the appropriate E-3 visas for work in the United States, contact immigration attorney KahBo Dye-Chiew at 866-510-7082, or submit an online email form.

The Hawaiian culture is steeped in the values of malama (care) and kuleana (responsibility). As the stunning island destination opens once again to travellers, the people of Hawaii ask that you join their efforts to keep one another safe. Hawaii has reached a vaccination rate similar to Australia and has implemented a number of best-practice COVID-19 control protocols. The State of Hawaii is aligned with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) federal international requirements and welcomes all vaccinated travellers to holiday in Hawaii quarantine-free.

COVID-19 entry requirements for Hawaii are subject to change at short notice. The information on this page is correct as at February 2022. We suggest customers stay up to date with all of the latest information at government travel advisory resource Smartraveller and the latest information on travelling to Hawaii from Australia from Hawaii's national carrier Hawaiian Airlines.

Entry requirements depend on where you are travelling from, however fully vaccinated Australians can travel to Hawaii quarantine-free.

Travellers 18+ years are required to provide digital or paper certification to prove they are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before they are due to travel. Unvaccinated children are permitted to travel accompanied by their fully vaccinated parents or caregivers.

A negative RT-PCR test is also required no more than 1 calendar day prior to your flight's departure. All travellers 2 years and older are required to produce a negative test result and tests must be taken by a travel test provider (hospital, doctor, lab). Drive through tests and SMS text results are not accepted.

Every traveller 2 years and older is also required to complete two CDC passenger forms which include signed attestation and contact tracing forms which need to be presented at the ticket counter upon check in for your flight prior to boarding.

Medical travel insurance with international COVID-19 coverage is also recommended for travel to Hawaii. If you're planning on travelling overseas, travel insurance with COVID cover is as important as your passport.

As a state of America, entry to Hawaii is dependent upon the same entry requirements of mainland USA. Australian travellers with a current Australian passport can travel in Hawaii for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. This can be done under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Time spent in Canada, Mexico, USA or adjacent islands will also count towards the maximum 90 days.

All Australian travellers who plan to travel to the USA must be approved by internet based ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) in order to gain entry under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The ESTA application must be completed at least 72 hours before your departure date; there is a processing fee and generally a 2 day processing delay for results. If your travel is not approved by ESTA you may be asked to apply for a Visa from the US Embassy to gain entry. For information regarding compulsory pre-registration for their visa waiver program see the US Customs Travel Authorization website.

An Australian passport does not need to be an ePassport for entry under the Visa Waiver Program, but it must be machine-readable. Australian passports that do not have two lines of 44 characters at the bottom of the personal particulars page are not machine-readable. To confirm whether your passport is machine-readable, please contact the Australian Passports Information Service (APIS) on 131 232.

Travellers arriving in Hawaii must be ready to present their passport for inspection upon arrival and must comply with all immigration and customs procedures and directions. Fresh fruit, plants and some seeds including leis are not permitted to enter the country unless they are sealed. Travellers are not permitted to seal and pack these items themselves. For more information on US Customs and Border protection visit the government website.

Vaccinations are not required to enter Hawaii unless you will be arriving from an area known to be suffering from epidemics such as yellow fever or cholera.

How do you get a work visa for Hawaii?

Work Permits for Honolulu In order to work within Hawaii your prospective employer must file a petition on your behalf with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Only when and if, your petition is successful will you be able to begin working in Honolulu.

Can Australians work in Hawaii?

Hawaii is a U.S. state and U.S. working regulations are very strict. People who are not U.S. citizens or green card holders need a valid work visa to work in Hawaii, such as an H-1B visa or investor visa.

Can Australian citizens work in the US?

All US work visas will require a US employer to sponsor you for your visa, so the first hurdle is to find a job with a US employer. Most Australians who work in the United States are on E-3 visas.

Do I need visa for Hawaii from Australia?

Australian travellers with a current Australian passport can travel in Hawaii for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. This can be done under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Time spent in Canada, Mexico, USA or adjacent islands will also count towards the maximum 90 days.