E-3 visa data for Special Effects Artists and Animators: Sponsors, Wages & Trends

SOC code 27-1014

There have been 71 US Department of Labor LCA filings for Special Effects Artists and Animators on the E-3 visa across all available fiscal years, with 91.5% certified. The median annualized wage is $142,868. The top sponsor is 2K Games, with most positions based in CA.

Total filings

Certified

91.5% certification rate

Median wage

$142,868

Annualized; outliers excluded

Top employer

2K Games

Top state

All sponsoring employers

33 distinct employers have filed E-3 LCAs for Special Effects Artists and Animators. Search or sort below.

33 employers

Employer	Filings	Cert rate	Median wage	Top state	Top city
2K Games	7	85.7%	$140,000	CA	Novato
Apple	6	100.0%	$166,600	CA	Culver City
Framestore	5	100.0%	$172,000	NY	New York
Naughty Dog A Limited Liability Company	5	100.0%	$120,000	CA	Santa Monica
Blizzard Entertainment	4	100.0%	$109,387	CA	Irvine
Dreamworks Animation	3	100.0%	$150,800	CA	Glendale
Technicolor Creative Services USA	3	66.7%	$124,384	NY	New York
Valve	3	100.0%	$150,000	WA	Bellevue
Buck Design	2	100.0%	$99,500	CA	Los Angeles
Carbon Visual Effects	2	100.0%	$98,259	NY	New York
Cheeky Granny	2	100.0%	$76,960	CA	West Hollywood
Creata (USA)	2	100.0%	$76,644	IL	Oakbrook Terrace
Electronic Arts	2	100.0%	$108,747	CA	Chatsworth
Meta	2	100.0%	$221,000	CA	Los Angeles
Polyarc	2	50.0%	$160,000	WA	Seattle
Tesla	2	100.0%	$122,200	CA	Hawthorne
The Secret Lab	2	100.0%	$193,671	CA	Burbank
Untold Studios US	2	50.0%	$290,000	CO	Evergreen
Animatrik Virtual Production	1	0.0%	$107,640	CA	Newport Beach
Cd Projekt Red	1	100.0%	$110,000	MA	Waltham
Company 3/Method	1	100.0%	$100,000	GA	Atlanta
Gentleman Scholar Studios	1	100.0%	$74,818	CA	Los Angeles
Girraphic	1	100.0%	$95,000	CO	Englewood
Laundry Design	1	100.0%	$91,000	CA	Los Angeles
Netflix	1	100.0%	$167,523	CA	Los Angeles
Pariah	1	100.0%	$338,000	CA	Los Angeles
Riot Games	1	0.0%	$90,002	CA	Los Angeles
Rockstar Games	1	100.0%	$114,046	NY	New York
Rockstar San Diego	1	100.0%	$110,000	CA	Oceanside
Shuttlerock	1	100.0%	$108,150	NY	New York
The Molasses Flood	1	100.0%	$106,288	MA	Waltham
Warner Bros Animation	1	100.0%	$134,867	CA	Burbank
Waymo	1	100.0%	$220,000	CA	Mountain View

Top states

Where Special Effects Artists and Animators E-3 jobs are concentrated.

State	Filings	Median wage
CA	47 (66.2%)	$136,448
NY	9 (12.7%)	$124,384
WA	6 (8.5%)	$155,000
CO	3 (4.2%)	$290,000
IL	2 (2.8%)	$76,644
MA	2 (2.8%)	$108,144
GA	1 (1.4%)	$100,000
WI	1 (1.4%)	$140,000

Top cities

Cities where Special Effects Artists and Animators E-3 jobs are filed.

City	State	Filings	Median wage
Los Angeles	CA	10	$109,500
New York	NY	9	$124,384
Culver City	CA	7	$150,000
Irvine	CA	4	$109,387
Novato	CA	4	$147,274
Santa Monica	CA	4	$120,000
Bellevue	WA	3	$150,000
Burbank	CA	3	$183,814
Glendale	CA	3	$150,800
Seattle	WA	3	$160,000
Chatsworth	CA	2	$108,747
Cupertino	CA	2	$203,750
Evergreen	CO	2	$290,000
Hawthorne	CA	2	$122,200
Oakbrook Terrace	IL	2	$76,644

Job titles within this role

The actual job titles employers used in their filings. Useful when the SOC label is generic — e.g. "CEO" / "Chief Executive Officer" both fall under Chief Executives.

Job title	Filings
Creative Director	5
VFX Supervisor	3
Human Interface Designer	3
Character Artist	3
Visual & User Experience Designer	2
Senior Level Designer	2
Senior Digital Designer	2
Senior Character Artist	2
Principal Environment Concept Artist	2
Principal Animator	2
Lead Animator	2
Head of 2D/VFX Supervisor	2
HI Designer	2
Character Designer	2
CG Lead	2
CATEGORY 1 - DIGITAL UNION	2
ARTIST	2
Visual Effects Supervisor	1
Virtual Production Lighting Supervisor	1
Storyboard Artist	1
Senior Virtual Production Specialist (Animator)	1
Senior Graphic Designer I	1
Senior Game Designer	1
Senior 2D Animator	1
SR. ARTIST	1
SENIOR UI ARTIST	1
Principal Environmental Concept Artist	1
Performance Capture Supervisor	1
MOTION DESIGNER	1
Lighting/Compositing Supervisor	1

Filings by fiscal year

Year-over-year trend in E-3 LCA filings for Special Effects Artists and Animators. DOL's fiscal year runs October–September.

FY	Filings	Cert rate	Median wage
FY2022	8	87.5%	$141,731
FY2023	19	100.0%	$144,500
FY2024	22	81.8%	$120,000
FY2025	21	95.2%	$150,010
FY2026	1	100.0%	$158,100

Frequently asked questions

How many Special Effects Artists and Animators have been sponsored on the E-3 visa?

There have been 71 Labor Condition Application filings for Special Effects Artists and Animators on the E-3 visa across all available fiscal years, with 91.5% of applications certified by the US Department of Labor.

What is the median wage for Special Effects Artists and Animators on the E-3 visa?

The median annualized wage for Special Effects Artists and Animators on the E-3 visa is $142,868, based on certified LCA filings. Wage outliers above $2 million are excluded from this calculation.

Which employers sponsor the most Special Effects Artists and Animators on the E-3 visa?

The top E-3 visa sponsors of Special Effects Artists and Animators are: 2K Games (7 filings), Apple (6 filings), Framestore (5 filings). The full list of sponsoring employers is shown above.

Where are E-3 visa special effects artists and animators based in the US?

Most E-3 visa filings for Special Effects Artists and Animators are based in: CA (47 filings), NY (9 filings), WA (6 filings).

Can Australians work as special effects artists and animators on the E-3 visa?

Yes. The E-3 visa is exclusive to Australian citizens and is one of the most common visa categories for skilled professionals working in the United States. Special Effects Artists and Animators is regularly sponsored under the E-3 visa, as the data on this page shows.

E-3 visa data for Special Effects Artists and Animators