Do I need a nanny VISA to work as an overseas nanny in the UK?
Since the UK left the European Union, there has been much confusion around the process of obtaining a nanny visa to work as a nanny in the UK.
There are two types of potential nanny visas you can apply for as an overseas nanny, let’s talk about them.
The Skilled Worker Visa
If you are an overseas nanny travelling to the UK to work for a UK based nanny employer, you may be eligible for the Skilled worker visa. This nanny visa can last for up to 5 years and can be extended/updated when it expires, you will also need to update your visa if your nanny employer changes!
To be eligible for this visa, you must:
- work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office.
- have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK.
- be paid a minimum of £26,200 per year, £10.75 per hour.
- be able to speak, read, write and understand English, which will need to be proved when you apply.
The main problems you may face with this nanny visa is that firstly, this visa is costly for you. The standard application fee for this visa ranges from £625 to £1,423 depending on your circumstances, per year you’ll be staying. You will also need to pay the healthcare surcharge (£624 per year) and provide evidence that you are able to support yourself when you arrive in the UK (minimum of £1,270 available).
Secondly, to apply for a Skilled Worker visa, your employer must have a sponsor licence which a typical nanny employer will not have. Frankie Gray, director of nanny agency Harmony at Home says this is usually because obtaining a sponsor licence is “too complicated, and too expensive.”
The Overseas Domestic Worker Visa
If you are an overseas nanny travelling to the UK with your nanny employer, you can apply for the Overseas domestic worker visa, as long as you have been working for your employer for over a year. Applying for this nanny visa will cost you £531 and you can apply up to 3 months before you plan to travel to the UK, after applying you should hear back within 3 weeks. The Overseas domestic worker visa allows you to work in the UK for up to 6 months, this period cannot be extended.
Check if you are eligible for this visa.
Please note that for you to be eligible for this visa your nanny employer must also be based overseas, and therefore either be:
- A British citizen who usually lives outside the UK and who does not intend to remain in the UK for more than 6 months
- A foreign citizen who is coming to the UK on a visit and who does not intend to remain for more than 6 months
If you come to the UK with the Overseas Domestic Worker Visa, you have to work in the same household as your employer, as a full-time domestic worker, and you must be able to support yourself without the need for public funds.
Harmony at Home Director, Frankie Gray, says that as a result of Brexit her agency has unfortunately had to turn away a lot of overseas nannies because the “majority of candidates from outside the UK do not meet eligibility criteria” with the few nannies who do, only being eligible because they have a dual passport with UK citizenship. Frankie says that “not one size fits all” when it comes to nanny visas and recommends that if you are an overseas nanny thinking about coming to work in the UK, to make sure you check your eligibility by using the UK government’s ‘Check if you need a UK visa’ tool.
Who are Nannytax?
We are the largest Nanny PAYE provider in the country, recommended by over 100 UK agencies and trusted by over 10,000 domestic employers. We support families with their responsibilities as an employer, while removing the hassle of payroll and easing the admin involved in employing a nanny. We also offer pension management, Employers Liability Insurance, Nanny insurance, and our service Nannytax Payroll Plus makes employing a nanny even easier!
