I too am on an E3 but my employer (and their lawyers, more specifically) dealt with it all the paperwork on their end. All I had to do was provide them with copies of my degrees and so forth, get a packet of paperwork from them (including the LCA certification), make an appointment with the local consulate and then go. I got my passport back (with visa) the next day.

What I am curious about is:

- How many startups know about the E3?

- How many would be willing to go through what seems like a lot less hassle of sponsoring an E3 (vs the far greater hassle of an H1B)?

- How much less hassle is it really?

In my experience, most employers don't know about it, and startups are not much different in this case.

Once you explain that it is similar to the TN visa for hiring Canadians, most people are fairly relaxed about it.

I'm an Australian on my 3rd E3 visa, it is much much easier than an E3 for everyone involved from what I have heard from collegues. The first E3 visa I got was for a startup, and they got ripped off big time with a $5k 'expeditied processing' fee from their lawyer.

In reality all it costs is a few hundred in applications fees (at the consulate) and a trip to Australia. The paper work for the employer is free (LCA) and usually takes 10 days.

I don't think many non-Australians know about the E3. I told my employer (very) late in the process that I needed sponsorship, and explained how easy it was to get an E3 and that I was willing to do all the work.

I think this helped as I imagine the last thing a startup wants to waste time on is dealing with bureaucratic immigration issues, but I can't say for certain.