Hi there, check out the information on Portable Employers of Record . . . google Portable Employer of Record or check out the Wikipedia article:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port..._of_Record

Not all portable employer of record services can take visa'd workers, however some companies do (www.mybizoffice.com). While I am not familiar with the new E3 visa, this company does handle H1-b visas for foreign workers. They'll even process the papers and do the legals for you.

This kind of employment option means your friend would be a regular employee, so he wouldn't have to submit quarterly tax estimates. And she/he would be eligible for real corporate style benefits (with guaranteed medical coverage, errors and omissions insurance, general liability insurance, and a real 401(k). What's more, this arrangement allows them to work for multiple clients without having to change employers -- all the freedom of billing multiple projects. When it comes time to try to get a loan for a house or car, having a single employer on their employment history and credit report can help immensely.

Not sure if this solves all the issues, but it might be a really good place to start. Typically this kind of arrangement works best for highly compensated consultants . . . .those making at least $70,000 a year in billings. At that threshold or above, the tax savings and benefits value will greatly outweigh any administrative fee charged.

Of course if he can find a full time position in PM that will have stability then that can be awesome . . . however sometimes independents can bill at a much higher rate than full time employees.

www.dice.com is a decent web portal for consulting and PM jobs, especially contract based positions . . . good luck!