Menu

Home / Cities / New York

Moving to New York from Australia: visa, paperwork and your first 30 days

Updated 2026-11-05 · 7 min read

Drawing for Moving to New York: the ExpatCooee boomerang with the word MOVING, a suitcase, a yellow taxi and a round subway line sign.
Moving to New York: one suitcase, one cab, one very long subway map.

New York doesn't wait for you to find your feet. Get the visa, the numbers and the health cover lined up early and the city gets a lot friendlier.

The short version

  • An ESTA covers visits under 90 days and no work at all, not even volunteering or pet sitting [3]. To live and work here you need a visa.
  • Most Australians come on the E-3, which needs a US job offer in a specialty occupation and a Labor Condition Application from your employer [1].
  • Your Social Security number (SSN) is the key to payroll, credit and leases. You can start work before it arrives [4].
  • A permanent move into New York State is a qualifying event for NY State of Health, and you generally have 60 days to report it [5].
  • Subway and local bus fares are US$3.00 a ride in 2026, capped at US$35 per seven days on OMNY [7].

Pick your visa before you pick your suburb

Australians are in the Visa Waiver Program, which makes scouting trips easy. Smartraveller is clear that the ESTA is for stays under 90 days and that work of any kind is off limits, including unpaid volunteering and house or pet sitting [3]. If you want to take that job in Midtown, you need a proper visa.

Route Who it suits What to know
E-3 Graduates with a US job offer in a specialty occupation Australians only. Needs an approved Labor Condition Application, a job offer letter and the qualifications for the role [1]
E-3 renewal People who want to stay longer Initial stay of two years; extensions of up to two years at a time [2]
E-3 dependant Married spouse, unmarried children under 21 Don't need to be Australian; de facto relationships aren't recognised for US immigration [1]
Spouse working E-3 dependant spouses Can apply for work authorisation; children can't [2]
ESTA Flat hunting, job interviews Under 90 days, no work [3]

Two traps catch people. First, the US wants a marriage certificate for a partner to come as your dependant, so a de facto couple has a decision to make [1]. Second, since September 2025 non-immigrant visa interviews must be booked in your country of nationality or residence, renewals included [3]. In plain terms: get your visa in Australia, not on a quick hop to Toronto.

Our E-3 visa guide goes deeper on the paperwork. It was written for LA, but the visa is federal and works the same in New York.

Before you fly: the Australian side

Admin at home is far easier to do in your own time zone. Tick these off before you leave:

  1. Visa in hand. Your employer files the Labor Condition Application, then you book your consulate interview in Australia [1][3].
  2. Originals, not copies. Pack your birth certificate, degree certificates and marriage certificate. The Social Security office won't accept photocopies or notarised copies [4].
  3. Tax residency. Moving overseas doesn't automatically end your Australian tax residency. The ATO looks at where you actually live, your ties and your intentions [10]. Our leaving Australia checklist walks through it.
  4. Social media. Smartraveller notes some visa applicants must adjust privacy settings so US authorities can review accounts, and border officers may ask to look at your phone [3]. Tidy up before you apply.
  5. Medications. Some medicines available in Australia are restricted in the US. Carry the prescription and a doctor's letter [3].

Your first 30 days in New York

Week one: Social Security number

Almost everything here runs off your SSN. As a work-authorised newcomer, you start the application online at ssa.gov and then book an in-person appointment at a Social Security office or card centre [4]. Bring at least two original documents proving identity, age and work-authorised status, such as your passport with its admission stamp and your I-94 [4]. SSA checks your documents with Homeland Security, which can take a few weeks if it needs a manual check [4]. Don't panic about payday: you can start work before the number arrives, because your immigration documents prove you're allowed to work [4].

Week one: health cover

This one's non-negotiable. Smartraveller warns that US medical costs are far higher than in Australia, that you may be asked for proof of insurance before treatment, and that Medicare doesn't apply because there's no reciprocal agreement [3]. Most E-3 jobs include an employer health plan, so check when cover starts. If there's a gap, NY State of Health, the state's official marketplace, lists a permanent move into New York State as a qualifying life event. You generally have 60 days to report it [5].

Week two: OMNY and getting around

Forget the car. New York runs on the subway, and from January 2026 the fare is US$3.00 for subway and local bus rides [7]. Tap your bank card or phone at the OMNY reader and the system caps what you pay at US$35 in any seven-day period [7]. The old seven-day and 30-day MetroCard passes have been retired in favour of that cap [7]. Express buses cost US$7.25 [7].

Week three: ID and a licence (if you'll drive)

If you won't drive, consider IDNYC. It's a free city ID card for New York City residents aged 10 and up, regardless of immigration status [9]. It's handy for everyday ID so you're not carrying your passport around.

If you will drive, know that New York doesn't swap an Australian licence. Once you're a resident, you need a New York licence, which means a written test, a five-hour pre-licensing course and a road test [6]. Until then, a valid foreign licence lets you drive [6]. You hand over your Australian licence when you pass the road test, so think about that before you book [6].

Week four: bank, phone and credit

Open a US bank account once you have an address and, ideally, your SSN. Keep your Australian accounts running in the meantime; our guide to keeping your Australian bank, number and accounts explains what to hang on to. You'll also arrive with no US credit score, which affects leases and phone plans. Our guide to building a US credit history from scratch shows how to fix that within the year.

Which borough? A quick guide for new arrivals

Choose by commute first. A 20-minute subway ride beats a cheaper flat with two changes every morning.

  • Manhattan below 14th Street. The West Village, East Village and Lower East Side. Walkable, busy and the most expensive end of the market.
  • Upper West Side and Upper East Side. Leafier, calmer, close to Central Park. Popular with families and people working in Midtown.
  • Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn. One stop or a few from Manhattan on the L or G. Cafes, bars and plenty of young professionals.
  • Park Slope and Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Brownstones, Prospect Park and a slower pace. Good for couples and families.
  • Astoria and Long Island City, Queens. Quick to Midtown, great food and often better value than Brooklyn's hotspots.
  • Jersey City and Hoboken. Technically another state, with PATH trains into Manhattan. Worth a look, but check the tax and commuting rules for your job.

Rents and approval rules are their own beast. Our renting in New York guide covers the 2025 broker fee ban, deposits and how to get approved without a US credit score.

Save these numbers now

The Australian Consulate-General is at 150 East 42nd Street, 34th floor, a short walk from Grand Central. Its phone line, +1 212 351 6500, is listed as available 24 hours [8]. For police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the US, call 911 [3].

New York can feel lonely for the first few months, even with eight million neighbours. Join Cooee USA, our Facebook group for Australians in the USA, to ask where to find a decent flat white, which neighbourhood suits your budget, and who's watching the footy at dawn. Then read our Aussie life in New York guide.

Sources

  1. Treaty Trader & Treaty Investor and Australians in Specialty Occupations – US Department of State
  2. E-3 Specialty Occupation Workers from Australia – US Citizenship and Immigration Services
  3. USA travel advice and safety – Smartraveller (DFAT)
  4. Social Security numbers for noncitizens – Social Security Administration
  5. Special enrollment and qualifying life events – NY State of Health
  6. Drivers from other countries – New York State DMV
  7. MTA Board adopts fare and toll increases to take effect January 2026 – MTA
  8. Australian Consulate-General in New York – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  9. About IDNYC – City of New York
  10. Your tax residency – Australian Taxation Office

Keep reading