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A Helpful Guide to the Overseas Domestic Worker Visa

Who Can Apply for the Overseas Domestic Worker Visa?

As previously stated, working in a private household is the only requirement for eligibility for this visa.

Some of the jobs individuals applying for this visa are likely to have include:

  • Cleaner
  • Cook
  • Nanny
  • Gardener
  • Housekeeper
  • Chauffeur

Documents You Need to Submit with Your Application

To support your application, you’ll need to provide a range of documents.

These include:

  • Your current passport
  • Proof that you can support yourself, such as bank statements or a payslip
  • A letter from your employer confirming your job title, length of employment, and permanent employee status
  • A complete ‘Appendix Domestic Worker Statement’ signed by you and your employer

Additionally, you must provide one of the following documents regarding your employment:

  • Proof of salary payment, such as payslips or bank statements
  • Employment contract
  • Confirmation of tax paid
  • Confirmation of health insurance paid
  • Work visa, residence permit, or equivalent passport endorsement for the country where you’re currently employed
  • Visas or passport endorsements if you’ve traveled with your employer in the past

Requirements to Apply for the Domestic Worker Visa

In addition to working in a domestic role in a private household, you must also meet other requirements. These include:

  • Being 19 years or older
  • Living outside the UK
  • Having worked for your employer for a year or more
  • Planning to work full-time in the UK household where your employer will stay
  • Planning to come to the UK with your employer, their spouse, or their children
  • Planning to leave the UK after six months
  • Being able to support yourself without needing public funds
  • Earning at least the minimum wage from your employer

Your employer must also meet specific criteria:

  • They must be a British citizen who usually lives outside the UK and doesn’t intend to stay in the UK for more than six months, or they must be a foreign citizen visiting the UK for less than six months.

Fees and Processing Time

  • To obtain an Overseas Domestic Worker Visa, you’ll have to pay a fee of £637. You can apply up to three months before your intended travel date, but it takes three weeks to process the application.
  • You can pay an additional fee for your application to be processed within just five working days.
  • Please note that processing times may vary if the Home Office experiences a high volume of visa applications.

Can I Bring Dependents?

No, you cannot bring dependents on the Overseas Domestic Worker Visa, as the visa duration is not long enough to make bringing dependents feasible.

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Halil İbrahim Koca

Immigration Adviser

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