The latest E-3 visa trends 2026 data tells a clear story: we just rebuilt the E-3 visa data resource on AmericaJosh from scratch. Where the old version embedded a couple of Airtable tables, the new one is a native, searchable database covering every E-3 LCA filing since FY2020 — roughly 67,000 records across 830 employers, 600 roles, and all 50 states, with dedicated pages for each. You can explore it here.
Building the tool meant working through years of US Department of Labor data in one sitting. Some of what showed up in FY2026 was unexpected enough to warrant its own write-up. Here's what the data shows about where the E-3 visa is heading.
The headline E-3 visa trends 2026 story: steady volume, shifting mix
FY2026 runs from October 2025 through September 2026 in US federal accounting terms. We have the first half so far. That's 5,122 certified filings between October 2025 and March 2026. Double that for an annualized projection: roughly 10,244 filings for the full year. FY2025 closed at 10,191.
At the headline level, the E-3 visa pipeline is flat. No collapse, no boom. Certification rates are unchanged too. 88.0% in FY2026 H1 versus 87.8% in FY2025.
But the mix has shifted dramatically. The filings are coming from meaningfully different places than 12 months ago.
E-3 visa trends 2026: AI labs are scaling fast
This is the most dramatic shift in the data. The frontier AI labs are growing E-3 sponsorship faster than anywhere else.
| Company | FY2025 filings | FY2026 H1 (annualized) | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | 5 | ~30 | +500% |
| OpenAI | 7 | ~22 | +214% |
| Baseten Labs | 0 | ~14 | new entrant |
| Lorikeet AI | 0 | ~10 | new entrant |
The absolute numbers are still small. Anthropic's 30 projected filings barely register against Amazon's 228. But the slope is unmistakable. The AI labs are hiring Australians at multiples of their 2025 pace. New entrants are showing up in the database for the first time.
Here's the plausible read. As the AI labs scale headcount aggressively, the H-1B cap doesn't move with them. So the E-3 looks attractive. No lottery, and the 10,500 annual cap has never been hit. For an AI lab hiring 50 specialists this quarter, the E-3 is a faster, simpler path for the Australian portion.
If you're a software engineer or research scientist with strong AI credentials, the Anthropic E-3 page and OpenAI E-3 page have enough filing data to be useful planning resources.
E-3 visa trends 2026: traditional Big Tech is pulling back
Now the flip side. Companies that historically dominated E-3 sponsorship are filing fewer LCAs in 2026.
| Company | FY2025 filings | FY2026 H1 (annualized) | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 287 | ~228 | -20% |
| Apple | 63 | ~42 | -33% |
| Microsoft | 52 | ~42 | -19% |
| 122 | ~110 | -10% |
The data doesn't explain the why. There are several plausible drivers. The broader tech layoff cycle is still working through these companies. H-1B cap utilization may be off enough that some E-3 candidates are routed through H-1B instead. Some of the slowdown is deliberate workforce reshaping after the 2023-2024 cuts. Any of these reads could be partly right.
What the data does say clearly. If you've been targeting Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, or Google as an E-3 path, the volume is materially lower than 12 months ago. That doesn't mean these companies have stopped sponsoring. They are still in the top 20 sponsors overall. But the door is narrower than it was.
E-3 visa trends 2026: Australian-owned firms are quietly scaling US operations
This angle matters most for an Australian audience. It's also the one getting the least attention. Several Australian-owned firms are growing their US E-3 hiring meaningfully.
| Company | FY2025 filings | FY2026 H1 (annualized) | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macquarie Holdings USA | ~45 | ~45 | steady |
| Macquarie Asset Management US | 0 | ~18 | new entrant |
| Macquarie Global Services USA | 0 | ~24 | new entrant |
| AustralianSuper US | 5 | ~20 | +300% |
| Commonwealth Bank of Australia (US) | ~5 | ~24 | climbing |
| Atlassian | ~12 | ~12 | steady |
| Canva | ~3 | ~3 | steady |
| Gamurs | 0 | ~12 | new entrant |
| Rokt | 27 | ~18 | -33% |
Macquarie as a combined group across its three filing entities is one of the most active E-3 sponsors overall. AustralianSuper's US arm has gone from a token presence to a meaningful one in 12 months. CBA's US operation is filing at a pace that suggests genuine US growth.
The pattern is consistent. Australian financial services companies are using the E-3 to bring Australian talent into New York. That's what the visa was built to do. Allow specialty-skilled Australians to work in the US. But until recently, US firms used it mostly to hire Australians inbound. The flip is real, with Australian-owned firms acting as sponsors.
For Australians in finance considering a US move, the Macquarie Holdings E-3 page and AustralianSuper page are serious starting points.
E-3 visa trends 2026: wages keep climbing
Average E-3 wages have gone up every year since FY2020. The 2026 H1 figure is the highest yet.
| Fiscal year | Average wage |
|---|---|
| FY2020 | $132,175 |
| FY2023 | $153,176 |
| FY2024 | $160,226 |
| FY2025 | $165,317 |
| FY2026 H1 | $171,671 |
That's roughly 30% nominal growth since FY2020. And 4% growth from FY2025. Adjusted for US inflation, real wages are still up.
The narrative this kills: the idea that the E-3 is a low-wage backdoor visa. It isn't. The average E-3 worker is paid more than the US national average for a college graduate by a wide margin. And the gap is growing.
A few of the highest-paying employers in FY2026 so far:
- Simpson Thacher Bartlett (law): $376k average
- Allen Overy Shearman Sterling (law): $343k
- Kirkland Ellis (law): $333k
- PSA Airlines (pilots): $350k
- OpenAI: $321k
- Meta: $237k
- Anthropic: $222k
- Google: $220k
Big Law leads the wage table. But the AI labs are landing in the same neighborhood. The Lawyers role page has the full breakdown of legal-sector E-3 wages.
E-3 visa trends 2026: the state map is shifting
New York and California still dominate the E-3 visa state map. NY is on pace for around 3,300 filings in FY2026, against 20,300 cumulative since 2020. California is on pace for around 2,300. Together they account for more than half of all E-3 activity.
But mid-tier states are growing share faster than the leaders. Annualized FY2026 H1 versus FY2025:
- Tennessee: +42%
- Pennsylvania: +33%
- Maryland: +32%
- Ohio: +30%
- Florida: +8%
The plausible read here. Remote-friendly roles and US cost-of-living arbitrage are opening up second-tier metros to E-3 sponsorship. A Software Developer who would have been hired in Manhattan or San Francisco in 2022 might now be hired in Nashville or Philadelphia. The LCA gets filed accordingly.
If you're flexible on location, the Tennessee state page and Pennsylvania state page are worth a look.
Which roles are growing, and which are shrinking
The fastest-growing roles in FY2026, annualized against FY2025. These are among roles with at least 30 filings in FY2025.
- Financial Risk Specialists: +55%
- Data Scientists: +50%
- Public Relations Managers: +43%
- Electrical Engineers: +33%
- Information Security Analysts: +27%
- Operations Research Analysts: +27%
- Accountants and Auditors: +26%
- Paramedics: +24% (small base, but the growth rate is real)
The roles in decline:
- Financial Quantitative Analysts: -36%
- Coaches and Scouts: -35% (likely a sports-cycle effect, not structural)
- Construction Managers: -23%
- Chief Executives (count, not wage): -21%
- Mechanical Engineers: -17%
The growth pattern leans toward data, security, finance risk, and analytical roles. The decline pattern is harder to read. Mechanical Engineers and Construction Managers softening together suggests the broader physical-infrastructure hiring cycle is cooling.
The Data Scientists E-3 page has the most active growth in the dataset right now.
How to use the new E-3 visa data tool
Everything in this article is in the E-3 visa data hub. The hub lets you:
- Search and filter across all 600 roles, 830 active employers, and 50 states
- Click into any role for full filing history, top employers, wage distribution, and state breakdown
- Click into any employer for their full filing record, top roles, and year-by-year trend
- See state-level snapshots with top sponsors and top occupations per state
The tool runs on the same DOL data this article uses. Refreshed quarterly. If you're planning an E-3 move, the role and employer pages are the natural starting point.
A note on the projections in this article
Every “annualized FY2026” figure here comes from doubling FY2026 H1 actuals. That's October 2025 through March 2026. It's a simple method. It can be wrong for seasonal reasons. Some employers file more in Q3 than in Q1. Some industries front-load. Treat the annualized numbers as directional projections, not committed full-year figures.
Where you see a “new entrant” label, that's H1 actuals against zero FY2025 filings. Those are unambiguous regardless of seasonality. Where you see a percentage change, the underlying H1 number is sometimes small (5 to 30 filings). The percentage moves around with each additional filing in that range. Read the absolute numbers alongside the percentages.
The underlying data comes from US Department of Labor OFLC public LCA disclosure files. The explorer will refresh when FY2026 Q3 data is released later this year.
E-3 visa trends FAQs
The mix of E-3 sponsors is shifting dramatically while total volume stays flat. AI labs Anthropic and OpenAI are growing 200% to 500%, Australian financial firms like Macquarie and AustralianSuper are scaling US operations, and traditional Big Tech sponsors including Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft have pulled back 20% to 30% from their FY2025 levels. Total filings are projected to land near FY2025's 10,191.
No. The cap is 10,500 new issuances per year and FY2026 is on pace for approximately 10,244 filings. The cap has never been hit since the E-3 visa was created in 2005. Allocation is not a practical constraint for any Australian applying for the visa.
$171,671 in FY2026 H1, up 4% from $165,317 in FY2025. Wages have risen every year since FY2020, when the average was $132,175. Big Law and AI labs pay highest, with Simpson Thacher, Allen Overy, Kirkland Ellis, OpenAI, and Anthropic all averaging $220k to $376k.
Anthropic and OpenAI are the most active AI sponsors, both growing their E-3 hiring at 200% to 500% year over year. Newer entrants Baseten Labs and Lorikeet AI both showed up in the dataset for the first time in FY2026 H1. Meta and Google sponsor at higher absolute volumes but their growth rates are lower.
Yes, but at lower volumes than in FY2025. Amazon is projected at 228 filings in FY2026 (down 20% from 287), Apple at 42 (down 33%), Microsoft at 42 (down 19%), and Google at 110 (down 10%). They remain among the top 20 E-3 sponsors overall, but the door is narrower than it was 12 months ago.
Macquarie Holdings USA is the largest Australian sponsor, with three filing entities collectively making it one of the most active E-3 sponsors overall. AustralianSuper US is growing fast (5 filings in FY2025 to a projected 20 in FY2026). Atlassian and Canva are steady. Commonwealth Bank of Australia's US operation is climbing. Newer entrants include Gamurs (gaming media) and Macquarie Asset Management US.
New York leads with approximately 20,300 filings since FY2020, followed by California at 16,800. Texas, Washington, and Florida round out the top five. In FY2026 specifically, mid-tier states are growing fastest: Tennessee is up 42%, Pennsylvania up 33%, Maryland up 32%, Ohio up 30%.
The annualized FY2026 figures come from doubling FY2026 H1 actuals (October 2025 through March 2026). This is a simple projection method that can be wrong for seasonal reasons. Some industries front-load filings in Q1 and Q2; others spread them more evenly. Treat the projections as directional rather than committed. “New entrant” labels for FY2026 H1 versus zero FY2025 are unambiguous regardless of seasonality.
Every record is sourced from US Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public LCA disclosure files. These are legal filings, not self-reported job board listings, which makes them significantly more reliable as a signal of actual hiring intent. The DOL publishes the data quarterly and the AmericaJosh database is refreshed within a few weeks of each release.
The full searchable database is at americajosh.com/learn-more/immigration/e3-visa/e3-visa-employers-visa-data/. You can filter by role, employer, or state, and click into any result for a dedicated page with full filing history, wage distribution, and year-over-year trends.
This article uses LCA filing data sourced from US Department of Labor OFLC public disclosure files. Projections are based on FY2026 H1 actuals doubled. Final FY2026 figures will be available after the September 2026 quarter closes and DOL releases the data.
