5 Things You Did Not Know About the UK Domestic Worker Visa

1) To be precise, a Domestic Worker Visa in the UK is not applicable only for maids but also applies to chauffeurs, cleaners, nannies, cooks, and personal care staff.

 

2) The domestic worker should have worked for a minimum duration of one year under his/her employer in order to be eligible for a Domestic Worker Visa under the Non-EEA category. Employers must be residing away from UK at the time of applying for the UK work visa and should not intend to stay back in the country beyond the six-month time period (this includes British/EEA and foreign nationals). A Domestic Worker visa is valid for six months and the applicant has to return to the home country after the visa expiry date or accompany the employer if the employer is returning to the home country for a long-term stay that extends beyond the six-month period, whichever is earlier.

 

3) You are entitled to the following if you have a UK Domestic Worker Visa:

* The domestic worker can stay back in the UK should the employer go on a short round trip outside UK and still have the domestic worker under the employer's payroll.

 

* A domestic worker can switch between employers while in the UK, provided the stay period doesn't exceed six months.

 

4) Domestic Workers who visit the country on a Domestic Worker Visa are not subject to strict rules for an employee rights and added advantages some of which are listed below:

• The domestic worker has to be paid by the national minimum wage rate for UK.

• The worker cannot be asked to do overtime.

• The domestic worker has to be paid for the agreed paid holidays.

• The domestic worker is eligible to serve the predetermined notice period, in cases where the employer decides to relieve him/her from service.

• Predetermined employment conditions can't be revised without the domestic worker's agreement and consent.
 

5) The visa restricts the worker's stay in UK to six months and workers cannot extend their stay through multiple visits to the country. Also, the workers are not eligible for recourse to public funds, nor can they bring dependents along with them to UK.

 

Domestic workers who had submitted their application for Domestic Worker Visa before 12th April 2012 are subject to different rules.

 

Know someone who is interested in working as a domestic worker in the UK? Talk to our experienced Immigration Consultants at Y-Axis to know more about Domestic Worker Visa processing.