Comment by AnotherGoodName
4 days ago
Australian who's been in the USA almost a decade in 4 different roles, each requiring a new E3 as well as multiple E3 renewals;
I've found that companies are pretty eager once they hear that you only need an E3 visa. Unlike H1B the quota for E3 visas are never hit. Companies view it as a very straightforward and guaranteed process.
Assuming the company files their side of the paperwork in a timely manner, From accepting a role you can be working in the USA within 2 months end to end. The consulate appointments in Syd/Mel are the biggest pain point. It takes some refreshing since they are booked out for months at a time and you need to look for cancellations each day. That's literally the biggest pain point though, everything else is painless.
Great info, thank you. How's working there compared to Aus? Do you enjoy it?
West coast climate and culture is the same as East coast Australia so that part is straightforward. Easy to make friends and a good life in that aspect.
For work-life balance I will acknowledge the biggest boom times are over. It was ridiculous at one point and the best move of my life. Nowadays though all big tech are starting to adopt some form of stack ranking and demands and pressure are going up while benefits are falling so it's not nearly as good as it once was.
Big tech is still ~5x take home pay though. I see a stint of working in the USA as necessary given Australian house prices. Do it for as long as you can stand, don't live up to the lifestyle of the wages. The net result is a big win for your life. As in if you work here for a year and get hit with layoffs? You'll still have 5x in savings for that year as you would have had in Australia.
warning you might end up with an american partner and get stuck there, ask me how i know :). But yeah, the comp difference is crazy, if we ever move back to aus we will have set ourselves up for a very nice life with our US earned savings.
Plus, far more interesting companies to choose from.