The Domestic Workers in a Private Household Visa allows overseas employers to bring their domestic workers with them when visiting the United Kingdom for up to 6 months.
Domestic workers in private households can include cleaners, chauffeurs, gardeners, cooks, nannies, and caregivers.
You can apply for a visa to visit the UK with your employer if you:
Domestic Worker Visa UK include:
Speak to our assessment team now to confirm your eligibility and options for free on 0800 970 2727.
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.
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.
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, for example a letter from them
change employers to another job as a domestic worker in a private household – only if you don’t stay longer than the 6 months
You can’t:
change your job for the employer you came to the UK with
live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
bring in family members (‘dependants’) – they must apply separately
get public funds
You must prove that you:
are 18 or older
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 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.
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
a current passport or other valid travel identification
proof you can support yourself during your trip, for example 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.
You can only apply for a visa extension if your current Domestic Workers in a Private Household visa is for less than 6 months.
You should apply before your current visa expires
You must continue to meet the eligibility criteria of your original visa.
You can only stay 6 months with a Domestic Workers in a Private Household visa. You can apply for an extension so that the total is 6 months if your original visa was for less than 6 months.
A decision will be made:
within 8 weeks for postal applications
usually same day if you use the premium service
You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example:
if your supporting documents need to be verified
if you need to attend an interview
because of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)
Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expired.
Different rules apply to you if you’re a domestic worker who applied for entry to the UK on or before 5 April 2012.
You can:
extend your stay in the UK every 12 months
apply to settle permanently in the UK after 5 years
bring your partner and children under 18
move to a similar job in the UK
You can apply to extend your visa for 12 months at a time.
If you’ve worked in the UK as a domestic worker for 5 years you can apply to settle permanently in the UK.
You should apply before your current permission to stay expires.
To extend your visa you must:
be a domestic worker in a private household
have applied for your domestic worker visa on or before 5 April 2012
apply while you’re still in the UK
To settle in the UK as a domestic worker you must:
have applied for your domestic worker visa on or before 5 April 2012
have been living here legally for at least 5 years
currently have permission to stay here as a domestic worker
have been in the UK as a full-time domestic worker continuously throughout the 5 years (you can’t have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 consecutive months)
have maintained and accommodated yourself and any dependants without the use of public funds throughout the 5 years
have sufficient knowledge of English and life in the UK
To extend your visa you must provide both of the following:
a letter from your employer confirming that they want to continue to employ you
a completed and signed statement of your terms and conditions of employment
To settle in the UK you must provide:
a letter from your employer confirming that they want to continue to employ you
evidence that you can satisfy the English language and knowledge of life criteria
a letter from your employer detailing any absences and annual leave you’ve had over the entire 5 years you’ve worked for them
If you’ve had any absences because of serious illness, births or deaths in your family, or had to leave the UK, you also need to write a letter detailing these. You should also include any related supporting documents with your letter, for example medical certificates, birth/death certificates, information about why you had to leave the UK.
A decision will be made:
within 8 weeks for postal applications
usually on the same day if you use the premium service
You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example:
if your supporting documents need to be verified
if you need to attend an interview
because of your personal circumstances, for example you have a criminal conviction
Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expired.
If you want to settle in the UK, you’ll need to prove that you can satisfy the English language requirement.
You can only settle as a domestic worker in a private household if you applied for entry on or before 5 April 2012.
You can prove your knowledge of English by either:
passing an approved English language test with at least CEFR level B1 in reading, writing, speaking and listening
having an academic qualification that was taught in English and is recognised by UK NARIC as being equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD
You may be able to meet the English language requirement in other ways. Check the full visa guidance for detailed information.
You won’t need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries:
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
the Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
New Zealand
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
USA
You also may not have to prove your knowledge of English in other circumstances
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.
You can apply to stay in the UK for up to 2 years if all the following apply:
you entered the UK on a domestic worker visa
you have a letter from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) confirming that you’re a victim of slavery or human trafficking
you are able to support yourself in the UK
You must apply within 28 days of getting confirmation you’re a victim of slavery or human trafficking.
If you apply for a different type of visa within 28 days of getting confirmation but are refused, you can still apply as a victim of slavery or human trafficking.
You must do this within 28 days of getting the refusal.
You’ll be able to work as a domestic worker for up to 2 years.
You don’t need to have a job offer before you apply. You can change job while you’re in the UK.
