The process of obtaining a non-immigrant visa to the United States has always been difficult. You need to know all the subtleties and nuances, especially when it comes to applying for visas for domestic employees. Many Americans have hired domestic helpers, trusting their home and children to them for many years. Often, when traveling to the United States on business, on vacation, for medical treatment or childbirth, people would prefer to bring their domestic staff with them rather than hire assistants abroad.
Domestic staff are nannies, cooks, personal drivers, footmen, housemaids, and personal assistants.
Typically, domestic staff can apply to the US Embassy for a B-1 visa. This visa category will allow domestic staff to accompany their employer to the United States and carry out their duties as usual. This category of visa is considered non-immigration, which allows you to stay in the United States temporarily up to 6 months.
You must fulfill the following criteria when applying for a domestic employee visa to the USA:
- You must have at least one year of experience as a domestic worker.
- You must be employed for at least one year (at the time of your employer’s entry into the US) with the employer who wants to be accompanied to the United States by you.
- You must have an agreement with an employer that will confirm the duration of your working relationship.
- You must have an additional employment contract specially drawn up with your employer to travel to, and live temporarily in, the United States. All conditions must be spelled out in this contract. For example, in addition to your duties being listed, it must state that you will be provided with accommodation, meals, round-trip tickets, hourly rate, number of working hours per week, number of days off, etc.
- You must prove that you have ties with the country of residence.
Applying for a US visa for a domestic employee is not an easy task and success depends mainly on the information the employer provides. The employer must correctly complete the employment contract with the worker for travel to the United States, demonstrate financial support, fill out a visa application form, and explain to the employee how to get an interview at the US Embassy. If you do not have time to do this routine work, you can contact our company, Avisa, for help. We can prepare your assistant for an interview at the US Embassy, help with filling out an application form, and tell your worker what documents are needed at the interview.
To get a US domestic employee visa, the following steps are required:
- Get acquainted with all the requirements of the visa application process.
- Collect a package of documents.
- Pay the US Embassy fee.
- Book an appointment for an interview.
- Fill out the DS-160 form.
- Have an interview at the embassy.
- Get a visa.
Documents which are needed to apply for a US visa for a domestic employee are as follows:
- Agreement confirming the working relationship with the employer.
- A labor contract for travel to the United States signed by the employer and employee.
- A copy of the first page of the employer's foreign passport.
- A copy of the employer's US visa or other documents proving the right to enter the United States.
- Booked hotel or apartment rental agreement.
- Employer's financial documents.
- Documents confirming the ties to the country of residence.
A visa to the United States for domestic staff will be issued without problems if all requirements are met and the package of documents will be collected and prepared correctly.
Our company, Avisa, has extensive experience in applying for domestic staff visas to the United States. We will provide you with comprehensive consultation, assess your chances, fill out an application form in accordance with US immigration rules, and prepare your employee for an interview at the embassy as quickly as possible.
