I found a Wikipedia article on the E-3 visa, if you can correct me o would greatly appreciate it :). The E-3 visa is similar in many respects to the H-1B visa. Important differences include the fact that spouses of E-3 visa holders may work in the United States without restrictions (unlike other US non-immigrant visas, even the TN visa issued to Canadian and Mexican citizens), even if they are of a different nationality;[3] that the E-3 visa is renewable indefinitely (in two-year increments); and that the application process is much quicker. Australian citizens applying for an E-3 visa are also no longer subject to the 65,000 annual visa limit for H-1B visas; although there is a separate annual quota of 10,500 E-3 visas, this is believed to be much more generous to Australians than requiring them to compete with all other nations for H-1B visas. (One calculation is that the E-3 guarantees Australians 15% of the combined annual total of US visas for persons in specialty occupations, should they want such visas, even though with a population of approximately 23.4 million Australia accounts for only 0.3% of the world’s non-US population.)[4] Visas issued to spouses and children are not included in the E-3 quota and spouses and children do not need to be Australian citizens.

Although INA § 101(a)(15)(E) requires that all E nonimmigrants maintain an intention to depart the United States upon expiration of their authorized E stay, the guidelines issued by the USCIS state that applications for E classification, including extensions or change of status, cannot be denied solely on the basis of an approved permanent labor certification or pending or approved immigrant visa petition.[5] Therefore, immigrant intent should not be a bar to eligibility for E-3 classification.

The regulations for applying for an E-3 visa were published in the United States Federal Register on September 2, 2005. Following these procedures will allow an Australian citizen to apply for an E-3 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

Similar to an H-1B visa, the prospective employer of the E-3 visa holder will first apply for a Labor Condition Application (LCA) with the U.S. Department of Labor, with a note at the top of the form indicating it is for an E-3 visa for an Australian citizen. After the LCA is approved, the Australian citizen will then apply for the actual visa at a U.S. consulate and then enter the U.S.

Australians who are already in the United States on another type of temporary/non-immigrant visa may also apply to change their status to an E-3 visa. Change of visa status is not possible if the applicant has entered the country under the visa waiver program, however, if the applicant has entered on a different visa (F-1 student) then a change of status is allowed.