Domestic Workers

Domestic worker

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 the other eligibility requirements

Domestic workers include:

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

How long it will take

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.

 

How long you can stay

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 can’t 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 can’t:

• 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