Nannies are a great way to ensure that your kids are taken care of when you the parent is away from home for long hours. A Nanny can be a helpful with raising children, cooking, tiding up and homework. Nannies can also help teach your children essential life lessons and instill in them good values. But how do you find the right nanny for your family?
The first step is to find one that fits well with your family. Look for someone who shares similar interests, hobbies, and values as you. This will ensure that the nanny positively influences your children and that she understands their needs.
Now that you have found a great nanny there is always a possibility that she may be undocumented. Often times, women will migrate to the US to seek a better life for themself and their family/children and overstay their visitor’s B2 VISA and start a life in the US.
Not having legal statues in the US, often time these individuals will turn to a skill job to make ends meet and provide for their family’s such as maids, busboys or nannies to give a few examples
There are a Few options for Nannies who choose to make a life in the USA to obtain legal statues. One of these options is thru sponsorship.
Nannies find themselves in a challenging situation as their visa status is dependent on their employer. Unlike other work visa options, there is no way for domestic workers to pursue a better paying job opportunity or switch employers if the employer is not treating them well.
Families must take the necessary steps to ensure the nanny they hire can have a secure future in the U.S. without fear of deportation or being fired without cause.
Can You Sponsor a Nanny to Come in the US?
Yes, you can sponsor a nanny to come to the US. A foreign nanny can be brought to the United States on a temporary visa or a permanent green card.
- J-1 visa for au pairs from other countries
- H-2B visa for non-skilled caregivers
- B-1 visa if you are a foreign national in the United States on a visa and the nanny will be accompanying you to the United States
- Green Card sponsorship (if you are prepared to go through lengthy and rigorous hiring and application procedure as well as wait many years before a visa becomes available to your nanny)
J-1 Visa for Au Pairs
For starters, the families have the option of applying for a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa. As part of the J-1 visa program, nannies are referred to as au pairs. Initially, J-1 visas are good for one year, but the nanny can renew the visa for up to another year.
The J-1 visa program is extremely attractive because it allows families to hire young adults from abroad who can work as a nanny while learning English and experiencing American culture as well as traveling around the country.
Sponsorship allows the au pair to apply for a J-1 visa and enter the U.S. with a legal status that permits them to work as a live-in nanny during the program period.
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) requires families who sponsor au pairs for J-1 visas to work with a recognized sponsor. They keep an eye on the au pair application process to ensure it goes smoothly for the sponsors.
H- 2B Non-immigrant Visa for Nannies
A family can sponsor a nanny for a visa if the nanny is not from the United States. The H-2B visa program allows employers to sponsor non-immigrant workers who are not from American countries.
The H-2B visa is a temporary work visa with an annual cap of 66,000 visas. If you want to hire a nanny through this program, you must first request permission from the Department of Labor. After your nanny’s application is approved by the Department of Labor, they can proceed with the visa process. The employer must pay the nanny’s application and processing fees, and transportation costs.
While there is no minimum salary requirement for H-2B non-immigrants, they must be paid at least $12.68 per hour or at least the prevailing wage in their county, whichever is higher.
B-1 Visa
A family can bring a nanny to the United States to perform domestic services temporarily, provided certain conditions are met.
The nanny must seek entry to accompany or join an employer who is visiting the United States temporarily. The employer (the family member) must hold a non-immigrant visa as either a B-1 business visitor or a B-2 tourist. The nanny will enter on a B-1 visa and will be allowed to stay for the same period as the employer’s visa.
The nanny must show that she is returning home at the end of her visit by demonstrating strong economic and family ties abroad. Conditions of employment in the United States should be discussed with consular officers during visa application interviews and documented in writing before departure.
It is important to remember that while this is possible, it is challenging to get approved, considering that there are no official employment relationship documents between you (as an employer) and your employee.
Green Cards for Nanny Workers
Families interested in long-term childcare are eligible to petition for their nanny to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, often known as a Green Card holder, in the United States.
Getting a Green Card for a nanny is similar to obtaining an H-2B visa. The family must establish that there are no competent U.S. citizens available for the position through a procedure known as PERM (Project for Employment and Refugee Mobility). Once the PERM procedure is complete, the family can file a petition with the Department of Homeland Security for the nanny to be granted an EB-3 visa.
A Green Card can be obtained when that petition has been accepted, allowing the nanny to begin working. Nanny applicants have been unable to petition for a Green Card in recent years owing to a backlog in “priority dates,” which has delayed the process for several years.
Nannies who are residents of the majority of nations are now eligible to apply for their Green Cards within a few months of the family’s petition being approved, according to legislation passed in July 2015. As a result, families are encouraged to begin the application process as soon as possible if the wait for priority dates changes in the future.
Application for U.S. Permanent Residence for Nanny
An “adjustment of status” process can allow your nanny, who is currently lawfully in the country, to seek permanent residency (using USCIS Form I-485). If she came to the United States from abroad, she would have to apply for an “immigrant visa.” As soon as she steps foot in the country, the nanny is issued a green card.
Your nanny will have a tough time obtaining a green card if she is in the United States illegally (due to an overstay of a visa or illegal entrance).
The Ending Thoughts
Going through sponsoring a nanny or caregiver in the USA can be challenging. Still, hopefully, this article has provided you with all the information you will need to complete this task.
There is more paperwork and clearance involved than many people realize, so you must take the time to read everything carefully, ask questions if you’re unsure about anything, and gather all of the required documents.
It’s a lot of work, but it can be done—and it’ll make all the difference for your nanny once she arrives in America!