Citizenship Areas
Advice on temporary travel with a household employer and the immigration conditions attached to your stay.
Advice on temporary travel to the UK with an existing overseas household employer.
Assessment of whether the proposed domestic employment fits the route.
The Overseas Domestic Worker route permits a short stay of up to six months. It is not a route for taking up a new long-term job in the UK.
We assess the proposed travel and employment arrangements before preparing an overseas application.
Review your employment, immigration history and the purpose of the application.
Assess relevant information and address issues affecting the proposed arrangements.
Prepare the appropriate application and assist with relevant procedural steps.
Explain the outcome, conditions and any further action requiring attention.
We explain the immigration conditions and consider whether a proposed change of household employer is permitted. Changing employer does not extend the authorised stay.
Domestic workers have employment rights in the UK. We can discuss the immigration implications of difficulties at work and identify matters requiring specialist employment advice.
Partners and children cannot accompany you as dependants under the current Overseas Domestic Worker route. Any proposed family travel needs a separate assessment.
We consider the worker’s circumstances alongside the employer’s proposed travel and the intended return arrangements.
Tell us if you are experiencing coercion, exploitation or difficulty leaving an employer. We can assess the related immigration issues sensitively.
A potential trafficking or slavery case requires a separate assessment. See our Modern Slavery and NRM service for referral support and temporary permission advice.
The current Overseas Domestic Worker visa cannot normally be extended and does not lead to settlement. We assess any separate immigration issue without treating continued employment as permission to stay.
Eligible workers whose original domestic worker application was made on or before 5 April 2012 have separate arrangements, explained in the legacy tab.
Advice for eligible existing holders under the arrangements for applications made on or before 5 April 2012.
We review whether the protected arrangements for applications made on or before 5 April 2012 apply.
Advice for eligible existing holders on further permission and longer-term status.
These provisions are not open to new applicants joining the old route. We assess your original application and subsequent immigration history.
We review the relevant legacy grant before recommending an extension or settlement application.
Review your employment, immigration history and the purpose of the application.
Assess relevant information and address issues affecting the proposed arrangements.
Prepare the appropriate application and assist with relevant procedural steps.
Explain the outcome, conditions and any further action requiring attention.
We assess your work history, current household employment and any employer changes relevant to further permission.
Earlier decisions, absences and changes in circumstances need to be considered together. We help present a clear account for the appropriate application.
Eligible legacy holders may have options for a partner. We assess the relationship and immigration position.
We review dependent children individually, including the arrangements relevant to children who have reached adulthood.
Family applications and settlement require their own assessment; the worker’s eligibility does not automatically decide a relative’s position.
Eligible existing holders may be able to extend their permission under the older arrangements. We review continuity, employment and current status before advising.
We advise on the expiry date, application arrangements and relevant travel considerations. If there has been a refusal, we assess the decision and available next steps.
Eligible legacy domestic workers may qualify for settlement after the relevant qualifying period and other conditions are met. We review the full immigration and employment history.
Settlement does not automatically confer citizenship. We can assess a later nationality application separately.