Since Brexit, hiring household staff from outside the UK has become more complicated. The old freedom of movement for EU nationals is gone, and families who want to bring in a chef from France, a nanny from the Philippines, or a butler from South Africa now need to navigate the UK's points-based immigration system.
We've walked dozens of families through this. A Belgravia family brought their Filipino nanny over last year; a hedge fund manager in Chelsea sponsored his South African chef. It works — but you need to plan months ahead, not weeks. And the paperwork is real.
The Two Main Routes
For most private household staffing situations, there are two visa categories worth knowing about:
1. Skilled Worker Visa
If you want to bring someone over permanently — say, a Michelin-trained chef from Lyon or a butler who trained at the Savoy in Johannesburg — this is the route. You become their visa sponsor. They apply for the visa. It sounds straightforward, and conceptually it is, but the devil's in the detail.
Key requirements:
The role must be on the eligible occupations list. Most senior household positions qualify — butlers, estate managers, private chefs, and house managers typically fall under relevant SOC codes. Junior cleaning or basic domestic roles may not qualify, as they don't meet the skill-level threshold.
The salary must meet the minimum threshold — currently £26,200 per year or the going rate for the specific occupation, whichever is higher. For most roles Irving Scott places, salaries are well above this minimum.
You'll need a sponsor licence from the Home Office. This is where most families groan, and honestly, fair enough — it's bureaucratic. You have to prove you're a genuine employer (not just someone who fancies cheap labour), show you have proper HR systems, and commit to monitoring and reporting on anyone you sponsor. The licence fee is £536 for a small sponsor, which is the easy bit. The forms and supporting documents are the hard bit.
The process typically takes:
- Sponsor licence application: 8–12 weeks
- Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) allocation: 1–2 days once approved
- Visa application: 3–8 weeks (or faster with priority processing)
2. Overseas Domestic Worker Visa
This one's different. It's not for hiring someone new — it's for families based overseas who want to bring their existing staff when they visit their London home. Say you live in Dubai and your housekeeper has worked for you for three years. When you come to London for the summer, she can come with you on this visa. Six months maximum, and it doesn't convert into anything permanent.
We see this a lot with our Middle Eastern and Monaco-based clients. They have a Knightsbridge apartment or a Mayfair townhouse, they're in London for Wimbledon or the school holidays, and they want their own people around them. Perfectly reasonable. The catch is that the staff member must have worked for the family for at least twelve months before applying — you can't hire someone in January and bring them to London in March.
It doesn't allow the family to hire someone new — it only covers staff they already employ abroad.
Getting a Sponsor Licence
If you want to hire from overseas permanently, you'll need a sponsor licence. This is the most admin-heavy part of the process, but once you have it, subsequent hires are much simpler.
What the Home Office wants to see:
You're a genuine employer with a genuine vacancy. For private families, this means demonstrating that you run a household that requires professional staff. Utility bills, property ownership documents, and evidence of your existing household setup all help.
You have HR systems in place. Even as a private employer, you need to show you can monitor your sponsored worker's immigration status, keep records, and report changes to the Home Office. A good immigration solicitor will help you set this up.
You can pay the going rate. The Home Office checks that the salary you're offering matches or exceeds the minimum for that role.
Costs:
- Sponsor licence: £536 (small sponsor)
- Immigration Skills Charge: £364 per year of sponsorship
- Health surcharge: paid by the employee, currently £1,035 per year
- Legal fees: budget £3,000–£5,000 for a straightforward application
The Settled Status Question
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals who were living in the UK before 31 December 2020 may have settled or pre-settled status, which gives them full right to work. If you're hiring someone who's been in the UK since before Brexit, check their immigration status — they may not need sponsorship at all.
Commonwealth and Ancestry Visas
Some staff from Commonwealth countries may have a UK Ancestry visa if they have a grandparent born in the UK. This gives them the right to work without sponsorship. It's worth checking, particularly with candidates from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Practical Advice
Start early. The visa process takes months, not weeks. If you know you want to hire internationally, begin the sponsor licence application well before you need someone in post.
Use a specialist immigration solicitor. Private household employment is unusual enough that generic immigration advice often misses the nuances. We work with solicitors who understand this specific area.
Be honest about the role. The Home Office occasionally investigates sponsor licence holders. Make sure the role you've described on the Certificate of Sponsorship matches what the person actually does. Don't inflate a housekeeper role to an estate manager to meet the salary threshold — it's not worth the risk.
Right to work checks. For every employee, regardless of nationality, you must verify their right to work in the UK before they start. This means checking original documents (passport, visa, settled status share code). Keep dated copies. The fine for employing someone without the right to work is up to £60,000 per worker.
How Irving Scott Can Help
We handle international placements regularly and can guide you through the process from start to finish. We'll help you understand which visa route applies, connect you with specialist immigration solicitors, and make sure the paperwork is right before anyone books a flight.
The world of private household staffing has always been international. The paperwork has got more complicated since Brexit, but the talent pool hasn't shrunk — it just takes a bit more planning to access it.