Working in UK - Domestic Workers

You can apply for a visa to visit the UK with your employer if you:

• are a domestic worker in a private household
• have worked for your employer for at least one year
• are from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
• meet eligibility requirements

Domestic workers include:

• cleaners
• chauffeurs
• cooks
• those providing personal care for the employer and their family
• nannies

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Fees
It costs £324 for a visa as a domestic worker in a private household.

How long you can stay in UK
You can use this visa to visit the UK with your employer for up to 6 months.

You must return home at the end of the 6 months or when your employer returns home, whichever is sooner.

What you can and cannot do
You can:

• stay in the UK if your employer takes a short trip to another country during the visit
• travel abroad and return to the UK to complete your stay, though you must prove you still work for your employer, eg a letter from them

You cannot:

• change your employer while you’re in the UK
• change your job for your employer
• live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
• bring in family members (‘dependants’) - they must apply separately
• switch to another type of visa from this visa
• get public funds

* Eligibility

You must prove that you:

• are between 18 and 65 years old
• have worked for your employer for at least 1 year
• work in the same household as your employer or one they use regularly
• plan to travel to the UK with your employer, their partner or children
• intend to work as a full-time domestic worker in a UK household your employer will live in
• plan to leave the UK at the end of 6 months or at the same time as your employer, whichever is sooner
• are able to support yourself in the UK without the need for public funds

Your employer
Your employer must be either a:

• British or European Economic Area (EEA) national who usually lives outside the UK and who doesn’t intend to remain in the UK for more than six months
• foreign national who is coming to the UK on a visit and who doesn’t intend to remain for more than 6 months

Your employer must also pay you at least the national minimum wage.

You could lose your visa if your employer breaks any immigration laws while in the UK.


* Documents You Must Provide

When you apply you’ll need to provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification
• 1 passport-sized colour photograph
• proof you can support yourself during your trip, eg bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
• details of where you’ll be staying and your return travel booking

You’ll need to have a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa.

You must also provide information about your job, including:

• a letter from your employer confirming that you’ve worked for them in the same job for at least 1 year
• a completed and signed statement of your terms and conditions of employment
• a statement from your employer confirming they’ll pay you at least the national minimum wage while you’re working for them in the UK

You must also provide 1 of the following documents covering the same period of employment:

• pay slips or bank statements showing payment of salary
• confirmation of tax paid
• confirmation of health insurance paid
• contract of employment
• work visa, residence permit or equivalent passport endorsement for the country where you’re currently employed by your employer
• visas or equivalent passport endorsement if you’ve travelled with your employer before

You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.

You’ll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh.


* How To Apply

Applying outside the UK
You must apply online for this visa.

You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.

You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what country you’re in - check with your visa application centre.

Applying in the UK
You can only extend your visa if you’re already in the UK (unless you applied for your first visa before 5 April 2012).




* Your Employment Rights

When you work in the UK your employer must:

• pay you an agreed rate, which must be at least the national minimum wage
• not force you to work excessive hours
• give you agreed holiday pay
• give you the notice you’re entitled to if your employment ends

You should already have agreed your employment conditions with your employer and have a copy of these in writing. Your employer can’t change your employment conditions unless you agree.

If your employer doesn’t meet these requirements, you can take legal action through an employment or industrial tribunal or the civil courts.