Overseas Domestic Worker Visa
An Overseas Domestic Worker Visa gives an individual permission to enter the UK to work for their employer in a domestic setting, for example as a cleaner, nanny, cook or personal assistant.
Important: Because of the requirement that the applicant has already worked for their employer for at least one year and the restrictions on how long the sponsoring employer will be living in the UK, an Overseas Domestic Worker Visa is generally not suitable as a visa for au pairs.
To be eligible to apply you must:
- be currently living outside the UK
- be at least 19 years old
- have been working for your employer for at least one year
- work in your employer’s household
- intend to travel to the UK with your employer (or their partner and/or children), and to work in their home in the UK
- plan to stay in the UK for no longer than six months
- prove you can support yourself without access to public funds
- be able to show that your employer is:
- a British citizen usually living outside the UK who intends to leave within six months, or
- a foreign citizen who is visiting the UK and who intends to leave within six months
Overseas Domestic Worker Visa process and cost
To apply for an Overseas Domestic Worker Visa, you will need to provide a number of supporting documents and evidence of your existing working relationship with your employer, including:
- a valid passport or other travel document
- proof of funds to support yourself for your trip (e.g. payslips or bank statements)
- an ‘appendix domestic worker statement’ (click here to download)
- a confirmation letter from your employer specifying your job title, length of service and stating that you are a permanent employee
- proof of previous employment, such as pay slips or a contract
If your documents are not in English or Welsh, you will need to get them translated and certified in order to submit them to the Home Office as evidence.
Applications must be submitted from outside the UK and will require that you attend a visa application centre to have your photograph and fingerprints taken. You should allow sufficient time to plan potential travel to an application centre if the nearest one to where you live is in another city or country, however the earliest you can apply is three months before you intend to travel to the UK.
Once you have submitted your application, you should receive a decision within three weeks. Depending on the application centre you intend to visit as part of your application, you may be able to pay to receive a decision faster.
The Home Office fee to apply for an Overseas Domestic Worker visa is £637. If granted, you will not be permitted to extend this visa in order to stay in the UK for more than six months.
Demetris Demetriou
Demetris is a dual-qualified lawyer in the UK (Solicitor) and Cyprus (Advocate) with 10+ years of experience in UK immigration. He completed his legal studies at University College London and City University London. Over the course of his career, he held key roles as Head of Immigration at Legal 500 firms and within the Big4, overseeing teams of 15+ fee earners handling 2000+ applications annually.
Demetris went on to co-establish his firm in London and continues to offer innovative solutions and strategic immigration planning to multinationals, SMEs, and private clients.
He personally represented 1500+ clients in 30+ visa routes including investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, sole representatives, students, family visas, global talent, UK ancestry, administrative reviews and appeals. Demetris has managed corporate relocations, conducted immigration law training and implemented post-Brexit immigration policies for corporate clients.
Demetris has been featured in various events and publications focusing on UK immigration, notably at the Cambridge Network, the Westminster Policy Forum and most recently at DGEMS, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.
If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.
Tatiani Preifelt
Tatiani has a wealth of expertise in global mobility and corporate immigration. Her ample skills were acquired within leading immigration practices including three out of the Big4 firms in both the UK and Sweden. Tatiani went on to co-establish her firm in London where she continues to advise clients predominantly in corporate, business and skilled work migration.
Having personally relocated to 10 different countries, Tatiani understands the importance of an expedient and successful immigration process and takes pride in delivering a seamless experience to her clients as well.
Over the course of her career, she has assisted over 500 individuals and businesses to obtain the appropriate visa permits in the UK.
Her awarded academic work at The University of Oxford, The London School of Economics, and at The Geneva University is in the fields of Political Science, International Human Rights Law, and Global Migration Governance.
She regularly provides immigration training and has recently participated as a speaker and panellist at DGEMS 2023, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.
If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.