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If you work for a Uk family or household and want to move to the UK with your employer, you might need an Overseas Domestic Worker visa. It allows you to stay legally in the country and work for your employer.

The article explains who needs an Overseas Domestic Worker visa, who is eligible, the requirements, the application process, FAQs, and more.

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UK Overseas Domestic Worker Visa

What is a domestic worker visa abroad (Overseas)?

You can request a visa to see the UK with your employer if you have the following conditions and requirements:

  1. Live outside the UK
  2. Be a domestic worker in a private home
  3. Have been working for your employer for at least one year
  4. Comply with the other party’s Eligibility requirements

The following job groups come under the domestic worker visa:

  •  Cleaners
  •  Drivers
  •  Cooks
  •  Individuals who give personal care to employers and their families
  •  Nanny

Benefits and drawbacks of an Overseas worker visa

You can do the following with an Overseas Domestic visa:

  • Travel overseas and then return to the UK to finish your stay.
  • Change employers if you do not exceed the 6-month limit stay as a domestic worker in a private household.

You will not be able to: 

  • Work other than being a domestic worker in a private family.
  • Live in the United Kingdom over extended periods due to frequent trips.
  • Have access to public funds.

Do Citizens of the European Union need a domestic worker visa?

If you are from the Union European, Swiss, Norway, Iceland country or Liechtenstein

If you or your family members begin living in the UK before December 31, 2020, you can apply for a completely free EU settlement program.

The application deadline for most individuals is June 30, 2021. You can still apply if you meet any of the mentioned requirements:

  • You have a deadline that is going to end; for example, you want to meet with a member of a British family residing in the UK before December 31, 2020
  • A “sensible cause” for not applying. For example, before June 30, 2021, you are ill or a victim of abuse in a domestic environment.

Otherwise, you truly need a visa to work in the UK.

Irish citizens do not have to request a visa or the European Union settlement program.

What are the requirements for a domestic worker visa abroad?

The requirements are as follows:

  1. a) You are 19 years old or older

b)You have worked for the employer for at least one year

c)You and your employer work in the same home or a home they frequently use

d)You plan to travel with your Employer, their partner, or children to the UK

e)You want to work as a full-time domestic worker in the UK home where your employer is going to live

f)You plan to leave the UK at the end of the six months

g)You are able to stay in the UK without public funds, and you can support yourself

If you want to learn how to immigrate to the UK as a pharmacist, read our article.

Employer eligibility principles

Your employer must be:

  • A British citizen who habitually lives outside the UK and does not want to stay in the UK for more than six months
  •  A Visiting foreign citizen in the UK and who does not want to stay for more than six months
  • Your employer should also pay you at least the amount of nationally determined minimum wage.

Foreign domestic workers visa requirements

When applying for a domestic worker visa, you need to provide:

  1. Valid passport or other documents that are valid for travel.  You need to have a blank page in your passport to place your visa.
  2. Proof of having enough funds:
  • bank statements or
  • payslips for the last six months
  1. A signed and completed appendix of the domestic worker statement by you and your employer
  2. A letter from the employer confirming:
  • Your position
  • How long you have worked for them
  • If you are a permanent employee

You must also provide one of the following documents covering your work experience:

  • Payslip or bank statement showing salary payment
  • Confirmation of paid taxes
  • Confirmation of paid health insurance
  • Employment contract
  • Work visa, Residence license, or equal passport endorsement of the country where you are currently employed.
  • Visa or equal endorsement, if you have traveled with the employer before

Note; You may need to deliver other documents depending on your situation.

You must show a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh.

If you want to learn how to immigrate to the UK as a doctor, read our article.

Is Knowledge of English required?

If you want to get settled in the UK, you need to prove that you can meet the English language requirements.

If you apply for entry on or before April 5, 2012, you can only become a domestic worker in a private residence.

You can prove your English knowledge through:

Pass an accredited English language test with at least CEFR B1 level in:

  • Reading,
  • Writing,
  • Listening,
  • Speaking

Possess a degree taught in English and Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) is recognized as equivalent Bachelor, Master or Ph.D. in the UK

Who is except for the language requirement?

If you are a citizen of one of the mentioned countries, you do not need to prove your knowledge of English:

  1. Antigua and Barbuda
  2. Australia
  3. Bahamas
  4. Barbados
  5. Belize
  6. Canada
  7. Dominica
  8. Grenada
  9. Guyana
  10. Jamaica
  11. New Zealand
  12. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  13. Saint Lucia
  14. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  15. Trinidad and Tobago
  16. United States

How to apply for a Domestic worker visa abroad?

To apply for this visa, you must first finish the application form on the UK visa and Immigration website and complete the online application form. Then you need to go to the UK Visa Application Center in your residing country and submit the needed documents. You will also need to submit your fingerprints and photos (biometrics) to the picked center.

How long can you stay in the UK?

With this visa, you can be in the UK for a maximum of six months or until your employer leaves the UK, whichever happens first.

Can I extend the validity of my visa?

The only way to extend the visa for domestic workers in private homes is that you receive your past visa with less than six months’ validity. You should request to extend it before your present visa terminates and keep on gathering the requirements of your first visa.

There would be different rules if you applied for a private family visa on or before April 5, 2012.

You can:

  •  Extend the stay duration in the UK every 12 months.
  •  Apply for your permanent residence in England after five years.
  •  Bring your partner and children who are under 18 years.
  •  Change the employer during the period of validity of the visa.

You can request an extension of your visa every 12 months at a time.

Providing that you have worked as a domestic worker in England for five years, you can request permanent residence in the UK.

You must apply before your current residence permit expires.

Who is eligible to extend the visa?

To extend your visa, you must:

  • be a domestic worker in a private home
  • have applied for your domestic worker visa on or before April 5, 2012
  • continue to live in the UK
  • apply for your application while you are in the UK

To establish yourself as a domestic worker in the UK, you must:

  • Apply for a domestic worker visa on or before 5 April 2012
  • Have legally stayed in the UK for at least five years
  • Currently licensed as a domestic worker to stay in the UK
  • You have worked as a full-time domestic worker in the UK for five years (cannot spend more than 180 days outside England in 12 consecutive months)
  • You have kept and stayed in the UK and have not used public funds or anything related for five years.
  • Have enough knowledge of English and how to live in the UK

How much is the fee for an overseas domestic worker visa?

To obtain an Overseas Domestic Worker visa, you will need to pay £531.

How long is the processing time for an overseas domestic worker visa?

Your visa application should be handled within three weeks of the date you submit it. You can pay to get your visa application processed quickly. Your application will be handled within 5 days if you select the priority service. Your application will be processed the next day if you select the super priority service. Please remember that certain services may not be available in all countries.

Let’s sum up…

Uk domestic worker visa is for people working for a private family and who want to move to the UK. The article explained who is eligible for it, the requirements, the application process, and how to extend it.

If you need to get more information about the Uk visa, go through the left sidebar.

You can also find out about other counties’ visas from the sidebar.

If you have any experience with visas, please write it down in the comment section below. Other applicants will appreciate it a lot.

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