Although I’m late in posting this, I’m happy to say that my E3 visa was renewed back in February. This means the USA is stuck with me for another two years – yay!
If you haven’t already done so, you should check out my three posts that explain how I scored my job in the USA on an E3 visa and ended up in Orlando, Florida from Australia:
Part I: Seeking E3 Visa Employment
Part II: 20 Seconds of Courage
Part III: The E3 Visa Process
An E3 visa is valid for two years and renewable indefinitely, so long as your sponsor is happy to continue to renew the visa for you. My first two years flew by and before I knew it, it was time to renew!
There are two ways you can go about an E3 visa renewal:
1. You may either return to Australia and re-apply at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (or any U.S. Embassy/Consulate outside of the USA) with the same documentation that is required for an original E3 application, or
2. You may have your employer file form I-129 with USCIS. This option does not require the employee to leave the U.S., but requires a USCIS fee of $320 and can take approximately 3-6 months to be approved.
For me, option 2 seemed like too long a time of waiting and wondering. If I was denied under option 2, it would be a mad rush to organize option 1 as an alternative before my current E3 expired. It should also be noted that you are not allowed to leave the U.S. within the 3-6 months of waiting for option 2 to be approved. Because of the above reasons, I went with option 1 and will outline my process below.
Please Note: I renewed my E3 visa in Canada. As a result, many of the website links provided below relate to the Canadian U.S. Embassy. The renewal process will still be the same no matter which country you choose to renew in, but please be aware you will need to find the correct links based on your chosen country.
E3 VISA RENEWAL PROS & CONS
PROS:
– Easy.
– Quick.
– No break in employment.
– Renewal fee is cheap ($270 USD).
CONS:
– Must renew at a US Consulate/Embassy outside of the USA.
– Travel/accommodation expenses make a seemingly cheap process, somewhat expensive.
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STEP 1: LABOR CONDITION APPLICATION (ETA-9035)
You may recall from your initial E3 visa, that your employer needs to file only one piece of paperwork for you which can be done online at zero cost to them. This form is referred to as a Labor Condition Application (LCA) or ETA-9035.
You employer must file the electronic LCA for non-immigrant workers, form ETA-9035E, through the Department of Labor’s iCERT Portal System. Your employer should have an existing account already set up from the first time they had to do this for you during you initial application.
The purpose of this form is to show that your employer will be paying you fairly in accordance with your continuing role and location. If approved by the Department of Labor, a Labor Condition Application (LCA) is sent back. This process usually takes no more than five business days. You will need your own hard copy of the approved LCA so print one out.
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STEP 2: ELECTRONIC VISA APPLICATION (DS-160)
You must electronically complete a Nonimmigrant Visa Application, also known as a DS-160. The form can be found and completed online here. Before filling this out, you must decide which U.S. Consulate or Embassy you will be traveling to to renew your E3 visa. A completed DS-160 is location-specific so please ensure you decide which location you will visit prior. I chose the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada for my E3 visa interview.
The DS-160 application process involves uploading a digital passport-style photo of yourself. You can read up on the approved photo requirements here and test your photo to see if it is within acceptable guidelines here.
DS-160 INSTRUCTIONS:
– Any errors you make on the DS-160 after submission will require correction by submitting an entirely new form.
– Since you are renewing an existing E3, your purpose of travel will be ‘Returning E3 (E3R)’ – see image below.
– The DS-160 must be completed in English.
– Applicants who do not generate an actual barcode, in addition to the barcode number, and who do not click on the final ‘submit’ button have not correctly completed the DS-160.
Once you have correctly filled out and submitted your application, you will need to print out a hard-copy of the DD-160 confirmation and barcode number.
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STEP 3: MACHINE READABLE VISA (MRV) FEE
You are required to pay the visa application (MRV) fee before moving on. The E3 visa fee is set at $270 USD.
To do this, you will need to create an account over at the Official Visa Services of the United States of America website found here. To get to the account creation page, click ‘Create Account’ in the top menu bar, or click here. You will need the following three things:
a) Passport number
b) Date of Birth
c) Nationality
Follow the instructions to select Trip Purpose, preferred Consulate to schedule an appointment, and other details related to your visa application. You will then be asked to make your MRV fee payment of $270 USD. If you have already paid the MRV fee, you will be asked to confirm your payment by entering the “MRV Fee Receipt Number.”
The MRV fee payment can be made using the following options:
a) Credit card payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express
b) Cash payment at one of the branches at Scotiabank
c) Over the phone
I chose to pay online using a credit card – it’s the easiest option. Make sure you screen capture and print out a hard copy of your MRV fee receipt for proof of payment.
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STEP 4: SCHEDULING YOUR E3 VISA INTERVIEW
You will need to schedule an appointment at your chosen U.S. Embassy or Consulate through this service (you already created an account log-in for this during Step 3).
To schedule an appointment, you must have the following ready:
a) DS-160 confirmation (barcode) number
b) MRV fee payment receipt number
c) Your passport number
Follow all steps required and select your desired interview day and time. I chose to wait until I had a date and time locked in before I went ahead and made travel arrangements. You never know how early the next available interview time will be, for me it was a three-week wait!
Save a copy of your E3 visa interview confirmation and print a hard copy out to keep. It should look similar to the one below.
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STEP 5: CONTINUATION OF EMPLOYMENT LETTER
You may recall that during your initial E3 visa interview, you required an official ‘offer letter of employment’ from your employer. Nothing was mentioned of this, but I did have my employer write and sign a letter stating my continuation of employment with my current company.
During my interview, the interviewer did request to see this, so I’m glad I was pro-active.
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STEP 6: E3 VISA RENEWAL INTERVIEW CHECKLIST
Here are all the things I gathered together to take with my to my E3 visa renewal interview at the U.S. Consulate in Ottawa, Canada:
– Passport
– Signed continuation of employment letter from my company
– Completed & signed LCA (ETA-9035)
– Completed DS-160 with printed confirmation barcode page
– Proof of my MRV fee payment
– Printed visa interview confirmation page
– A copy of my bachelors degree (not required)
– Supporting documents: car insurance statements, bank account statements, anything to show that I was living where I said I was and was able to continue to support myself.
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STEP 7: THE E3 VISA RENEWAL INTERVIEW
Apart from waiting around for an hour or two, my interview was smooth and quick. The interviewer asked a couple of questions about my job and role, asked how I was enjoying Florida and then took a look at all my paperwork. It took a total of 2-3 minutes from beginning to end and then he informed me that my E3 visa renewal had been approved. YAY!
You can arrange to have your passport mailed back to wherever you are staying, otherwise it will be delivered to the nearest LOOMIS branch to you and you will be required to go and pick it up.
I had initially booked my departure flight for a week from my interview date, but my passport was delivered with my new visa in it quicker than expected (48 hours after my interview!!!). As a result, I was able to bump my flight up and fly back into the USA – home sweet home for another two years ♥
UPDATE:
As of May, 2015, I have been selected as a DV Lottery 2016 winner (Green Card Lottery winner). I will be documenting the entire process here on my blog in case any other E3 visa holders are going through this same process. I have chosen to do an Adjustment of Status as I already reside here in the USA, instead of heading back to Australia to file my paperwork. Any blog posts pertaining to this can be found here.
E3 Visa Renewal Process
E3 Visa Renewal Process
E3 Visa Renewal Processinitial
If you are looking for a short-term tourism/business visa (valid for 3 months) then you will need an ESTA, you can obtain it online at ESTAPERMITS.ORG.
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This is all very confusing to me but I am glad the outcome is that you get to stay! Yay merica!
tiffany recently posted…4th of July Weekend
U-S-A. U-S-A…. that is my best patriotic chant haha. I’m glad too <3
It’s too bad you didn’t get to renew during a warmer month! Then it probably would have been fun being in Canada for a few days! But YAY to you staying in America!!
Pamela recently posted…How do you fit all that in them jeans?
Haha I decided not to include the gloomy, dark, freezing deathly cold stories of Canada. Maybe that can be another post 🙂
Yay Lynda! Bring on the burgers and apple pie ‘n all the American things you can handle. #mericuh
Kate recently posted…4th Weekend
And guns, and fireworks, and U-S-A chants, and bald eagles… MERICA!
This is awesome Lynda! I’ve read your USA journey from your Disney days to making the dream come true. Such an inspiring example of determination and working for your goals! So nice of you to give a detailed advice to those wishing to go on the same path. May you have many more fruitful years in the US, and I’ll be vicariously living the adventure through you 🙂
Jean | Holy Smithereens recently posted…Travel Update: I’m Boeing to Bali!
Thank you Jean! When I was completing my initial visa process, there was barely any information online explaining how to do it… fast forward a couple of years, and renewal info is scarce too so I figured I’d write a comprehensive post. It’s surprising how many emails I receive from Aussies with questions or asking for help with their E3 visa process so it’s the least I could do 🙂
You mentioned that in option 2 that it can take approximately 3-6 months to be approved and that you are not allowed to leave the U.S. within the 3-6 months of waiting for option 2 to be approved.
However there may be another con based on what I’ve read. Apparently in option 2 you do not get a ‘new’ E3 – instead, as far as the US Government is concerned it is not your US Visa that has been renewed or extended it is your US Visa status that has been extended. So this would mean that unlike a ‘new’ E3 with 2 years of validity where you can travel in and out of the US while on it (multipoint entry or something I think they call it), under option 2, if you were to travel Internationally anywhere after your current E3 visa has expired but you have an approval for extension of E3 visa status from the USCIS, you will need to re-apply again for a new E3 visa at a US Consulate. A valid and unexpired US visa is needed for re-entry into the US and the extension of status you received within the US just means you can continue working legally and operate as normal but does not give you the new visa which is the only thing that get you reentry into the United States under that same visa status.
So basically, option 2 means you are stuck in the US and can’t leave for holidays, family emergencies etc.
At least this is what i took from http://visacoach.org/2010/01/31/e3-visa-renewal-reissue-without-us-consulate-interview/ (check it out)
Anyone know if this is correct? It was a 2010 post so maybe not?
Chris, you are correct. You cannot leave the US whilst awaiting the VISA extension approval. Once it is approved (mine just was), you can travel within the states, however the first time you leave the country, you need to renew your E3 visa.
Chris and Amy – correct, but I like to leave the country frequently and sometimes have to leave for work related reasons also, so that second option is basically not even an option for me… plus you still have to go through the hassle of actually going to a US Embassy when you first leave the US after having it renewed anyway, so in short, it’s basically pointless, especially if you take that route and then your visa is denied for some unknown reason, then it will be a mad rush for renewal via the alternative option with little room before expiration!
Hi Lynda, thank you for your very helpful posts of E3 visa. Is it possible to apply for Green Card having E3 visa? Thx.
I’m not actually sure, Marina. I apply for the green card lottery each year but I don’t think you’re able to switch from an E3 to a Green Card mainly because with the E3, you always have to show intention to return back to Australia. I could be wrong though.
Thanks Lynda, super helpful.
I’m on my 2nd renewal/3rd visa but its easy to forget the crucial details. I’ve now applied/renewed in London, Ottawa and Perth!
Keep up the good work.
That’s awesome, Noel! Where do you live in the US? Wonder where my next renewal will be?!
I’m in Brooklyn NY, but started out in SF. Lots of international travel for my job so the external renewal is really my only option, and is actually pretty smooth. Blessed by the E3, lucky country indeed.
Hi Lynda , thank you for this post . very helpful. I am planning to apply E3R from Ottawa and was wondering how soon can we apply before the expiry of current E3. My current E3 expires in Jan 2015. I may have to travel outside US on client assignment and would prefer to get new E3R in Oct 2014 before I travel . Can we make visa appointments 3-4 months before expiry ?
Hi all – I assume we keep the same SSN etc. after renewal of an E3? Or do we need to go through that whole process again? Also, my wife is on the E3D and had to apply for a card / work permit etc… anyone know if you need to get a new one of these as well?
By the way, Sid, I was told you don’t have to wait for current E3 to expire before booking new appointment but since i haven’t tired it yet (still on my first one) I can’t be sure…
Hey Chris – Your SSN stays with you for life, I’ve used mine through my J1 student visa and now both my E3’s.
And correct to Sid’s question, I went for my new E3 two months before my current one expired and it’s fine to have the overlap 🙂
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Thanks – this is all so helpful!! 😀
Hi, I need to renew my visa soon. The dates on my LCA are from the expiry of my current visa, so is it ok to do my US Consular interview overseas before expiry (so before my LCA is really valid)?
Hi Lynda,
I was hoping you could help me with the following. I’m filling in the LCA myself and I have previously held an E3 visa. It is running out and instead of renewing it I want to apply for a whole new one, I’m also traveling to Australia to see family and it made sense to do it this way. There are a two questions on the LCA form I’m stuck on:
1. Question B-5: For the employment start date, should this be 11/9 (since my current visa ends 11/8) – or actual start date with the employer (which was back in 2012 under a completely different visa [J1])?
2. Question B-7: Is “B” the appropriate category: “For continuation of employment without change with the same employer”
Hey there,
I just renewed my E3 from Perth, after having done so previously in Ottawa and originally applied in London. When in Oz they were stricter about seeing the university/specialist qualifications, and about the photo (neither were mentioned in Ottawa, and barely in London). It was explained to me as external/international consulates not knowing the details as well as those within Australia, nor being as accountable to the continued success/integrity of the e3 visa and its protocol. Just a heads up to save time make sure your bring your academic transcript or degree, and that your pic is less than 6 months old.
Thanks again for your awesome resource.
-Noel
I’ve been looking into renewing my E3 visa in Canada and came across this on the Canadian US consul website:
“U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Canada and Mexico routinely do not accept applications for “E” visas from Third Country National applicants who are not resident in their consular districts.”
I’m wondering if there has been a policy change since this post was written? Has anyone renewed their E3 visa in Canada more recently? Thanks!
Hi Lynda, this is hugely helpful, thank you so much! Quick question, do you know if I can apply for a new E3 visa in Canada? I currently live in the States and have an E3, but want to change employers and think it’s easier to cancel and start again. I would love any help you can provide. Thanks, Sari
Here’s a new one (I think).
During the DS-160 application, are you putting all your ‘USA’ info as your home address, permanent address etc.? Or putting down your Australian address info?
And also… when leaving the USA and entering AU with the plan to renew the E3 do you say you are ‘leaving USA temporarily’? Even though there’s no guarantee you will get back in? And then on a similar note, entering Australia are you ‘returning temporarily’ or not?
Sorry if the above is unclear, hopefully you guys get what I mean 🙂
Chris
Hey Lynda,
Just wanted to send you a shout-out for documenting all of this. It seems the ‘official’ websites are woefully lacking in specific information when renewing or applying for a Visa. My Boyfriend and I are just about to go through our first renewal, and this post has helped a lot!
Cheers – and keep up the excellent blogging 🙂
Thanks Sarah! I found a lot of sites to be lacking info when it came to renewing also. Best of luck with your renewal and your boyfriends – the E3 visa really is amazing <3
@ Catherine and @ Sari – I was also worried after reading some of the statements on the official site that I should go back to Australia to renew my E-3. Nonetheless, I bit the bullet of went for the renewal interview today in Ottawa. I was approved. Interview took all of 30 seconds.
Thanks Lynda for the great site you have here. Cheers!
Congrats – yep, Ottawa was a breeze! I had also read that you MUSt return to Australia to renew, but this is definitely not the case.
Hi Lynda,
Cheers for the great blog. Very useful information on E3 Visa. Applied mine in September 2014 in Sydney, got approved my E3 in 2 minutes(some of my friends in USA on H1B scared me with horror stories ). Moved to Dallas,Texas and now have to move to Minneapolis,Minnesota in January. Just a quick question— do you any idea about the weather there?
Thanks
Hi Lynda – Thanks for the great post.
One question with regards to the employment continuation letter.
Does this have to be the same style as the original offer letter where both employer and employee sign? Or is it just a signed letter from the employer referring to the employment continuation and the appropriate duration?
Thanks!
Hi Lynda,
Was wondering if you could help me out with my question.
My E3 Visa will expire in April this year.
I am flying back to Australia in March to renew it.
Is that enough time to renew my visa before it expires? (I will have less than one month). Do I have to renew it BEFORE it expires?
You mentioned you applied to renew your E3 two months prior to its expiration.
Thank you so much.
Hi Lynda! Great post! So helpful… just saved myself a flight back to Melbourne.
Do you happen to know the time frame before visa expiry and when you can apply to renew? My E3 expires at the end of June but I’d like to get it over and done with ASAP.
The problem is they cancel the old vise and start the new one right away. So you will end up losing a few months.
Lynda your posts have been extremely helpful, thank you! I am in the USA on an E3 visa with my family and it is nearly time to renew. Montreal is a little closer to us, is there any difference renewing the visa in Ottawa vs Montreal?
Hi Lynda. Great info. WE have renewed our E3 visas 3 times now (returning to Oz) and extended once. WE are now going to renew again in Calgary!! Fingers crossed. Hard to find a consulate in Canada that renews E3’s!!
Question – as the consulate holds our passports during process, can we travel by air during this time sans a passport? We interview in Calgary, but wish to go to Vancouver for a holiday and have our passports shipped there.
Not too sure if we can fly within cananda without a passport (only using US drivers license). Air Canada says no passport is required only one piece govt issue pic id,, but I reckon they will ask “well where is your passport and this could cause “issues”.
Hi Lynda,
Thanks for all your info! It’s been really helpful. I just wanted to ask a quick question about my E3 visa.
My visa is expiring on the 1st of April, 2015. I will be going back to
Australia to renew it. I was just wondering whether I have to renew it
*before* the 1st of April or if it’s ok to set up an appointment around the
5th of April? Basically, I want to know whether it’s possible to renew my
visa after (even though it’s just a few days) it has expired.
Thanks in advance! I look forward to hearing from you.
Hi how are you? this page has helped me so much, thanks. I have one question though. What dat am I using as point of reference to renewal my visa, date of E3 issued or day of entry into the USA or date of expiration of E3. thanks.
Lynda – I used all of this information and successfully renewed my families E3 in Ottawa in February 2015. There are a couple of things I want to add that may help others:
1. When I filled out the D160 I chose Vancouver as my desired interview location. The wait times listed were 12 days. After submitting this and then trying to schedule an interview there were NO interviews available in Vancouver. It seems the wait times displayed are for canadian citizens and does no apply to US residents (aussies).
2. I then scheduled an interview in Ottawa, and did not redo and resubmit my D160, so was nervous that I had originally chosen Vancouver. When arriving in Ottawa there was no mention of this and I had not trouble getting the renewal.
3. We took lots of supporting documentation ‘just in case’ but other than a letter from my employer – they did not ask for anything. I guess you never know who you are going to get behind your window so better to be safe.
3. If you do go to Ottawa – while you are waiting around for the 3-5 days – we went to Mt Tremblant and did some skiing. It was awesome. Also be sure to check on public holidays as the Loomis office was closed the day we went to collect the passports. Fortunately we had an extra day up our sleeve.
Thanks again for your post.
Hi Martin,
When you scheduled your appointment for Ottawa, did you still choose the “i’m a non Canadian citizen residing in the US” option ?
Hi Lynda,
After reading your information online its fantastic that you can pass on such vital information as this can be a very intense process to go through.
I have been working in the states for nearly a year and a half and need to renew my E3 visa, I have my wife with me and was wondering if we can do it together or does she have to wait for my new visa to arrive back before she can apply for hers. Looks like we will try to proceed with the renewal process in Toronto.
Thanks again for all of your information.
Lynda, I am on my first E3 visa renewal. I have booked my interview for Ottawa. How early are you meant to arrive before your scheduled interview time?
Hi Lynda,
I am currently on an E3, would like to change my employer and applying for new E3 as the transfer takes long. On DS-160, purpose of travel – should I select ‘Returning E3’ or ‘New App’?. I really appreciate your response.
Regards,
Raj
Hi Raj,
Did you ever figure this out? My boyfriend’s visa still has a year with the current employer, but he wants to change employers, so it isn’t technically a renewal. Please let me know!
Hi Victoria, I got my 2nd E3 now form Ottawa embassy. Though I changed my job, I selected ‘Returning E3’ option when I submitted DS-160 as it will be new E3 and provided all the necessary docs pertaining to the new employer (offer letter, LCA etc).
Hi Lyndal,
Do yo know if you can re-apply for your E3 in Montreal?
From memory, I don’t think the Montreal consulate allowed E3 renewals, but you’ll need to look it up online and confirm.
Hi Lynda,
I’m planning on renewing my E3 in Canada and wanted to know if I still need to wait 10 days after I’ve been approved before I can re-enter the U.S or can I fly back straight away since my current E3 visa will still be valid?
Thanks,
Teia
You can fly back right away – I flew back into the USA the very next day 🙂
Hi all! Thanks SO much for this post Lynda. We are just starting our renewal process too and plan to go to Canada. Just wondering if anyone had done this process with their spouse? My husband is the one with the E3 and I am renewing my e3d – we are hoping we can just turn up together and do it together on the spot. Anyone had experience with this? thanks! Laura 🙂
Hi Laura, my wife and kid got E3d when i switched job recently. We got it in Ottawa together but we had to stay 2 business days (plus a weekend) to collect the stamped passports before returning to the US. Good luck – rawjiv 🙂
Hi Lynda,
Your blog has been very informative helpful!
I have a question regarding renewing the E3 visa, not sure if you have come across this situation though..
My employer used a solicitor to file the initial applications which were successfully approved, but this year they want to submit it independently.
However, their icert portal does not have my initial application record, will this be a problem? If yes, how can they process a renewal independently?
Kind Regards,
Karishma
Hi Karishma, same with me… initial application thru solicitor, approved.. 2nd time, I applied directly…. When you apply for 2nd time, you need to provide your initial E3 Visa number which is a link to your initial approval/application.
rawjiv
Thanks for the tip, Lynda! I am looking to follow the exact same steps to Ottawa… I’m also a fellow Floridian – based out of Fort Lauderdale!
Hi Lynda
Thank you very much for your insightful step by step instructions for renewing the E3 Visa. My wife and I are about to embark on this journey and your guide has been extremely helpful.
Cheers
Congratulations Lynda on the renewal. I was wondering how you got around the issue where travel to Canada does not reset your I-94 expiry date. Your previous I-94 would have expired on the expiry date of the old visa. Wouldn’t you have to travel outside of the US, Canada or Mexico to get a new I-94? Without that, you’re overstaying your time in the US I would have thought.
Hey we’re doing the same thing atm but we are delaying getting the visa into our passport until we decide if we should go to australia or canada. The old visa is still valid but we switched jobs and the new visa has been approved just not stamped.
Do you know if we can still travel within the states in the old visa?
Hi,
Just a quick question, I know it might have been asked and answered before.
I am on an E3 visa currently and going to switch jobs. So with the new changes from 16 feb 2016, can I get my new employer to file for an I129 and start working? Or do I have to wait till the I129 is approved?
Thanks in advance.
Valuable blog post – For what it’s worth if you are interested in a UK Skandia Disinvestment Request , my company used a blank version here
http://goo.gl/3srnEnGreat website!!!!! So helpful and thorough. Had a question on logistics on renewing. My visa will expire March 2017 and I currently live in Seattle and my employers will renew this visa (LCA – check). I intend to have my annual visit home in January 2017 and was hoping to complete the renewal during this 1.5-2 week visit. I’d like to be able to set a date for my appointment at the consulate before I book any international flights and my main question is … is it too early to submit the LCA now (June 2016)? If the DOL approve (which is likely), will I even be able to make an appointment at the consulate 6 months in advance? Any tips or insights would be greatly appreciated!!!
Very helpful, thank you lynda
Hello! My visa is expiring on 7th November 2016. The earliest appointment I got in Ottawa, Canada is 4th November 2016. I got my LCA last week but my employer says that they need to apply for my status renewal with priority processing.
I thought E3 Visa and status are the same. Can you advise if my understanding is correct that I dont need to apply for status renewal as long as I am going for visa interview on 4th November? Thanks in advance.
Yes u r right. As long as you are going for the visa appointment you should be fine.
Thanks for putting this together. Even though I’ve done this a few times its always good to go through a check list. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
Hi! Lynda
I had E3 visa renewal interview on 4th Nov 2016 in Ottawa. The letter says that they need additional time to approve my visa and its not a refusal. My current visa expires on 7th Nov 2016. I am in kind of a pickle now. I am not sure if I can travel to US immediately without problem? Or do i wait for a few days which I have organised till 10th Nov and then fly to US on a visit visa? Your advise will be very very helpful.Thanks a lot in advance.
Is there a limit to how early before your current E-3 visa expiration date you can begin applying for a new E-3? I am applying for my new E-3 about 10 months before the expiration date, and anticipate there will be about an 8-month “overlap” when I’ll have two E-3s (though one will be a dud as soon as the new one is issued).