Bringing a maid to the US

[JAYANN & JAY 11]

I am very happy I found this forum because I have been searching everywhere without finding an answer to the question(s) below.

I am a Swedish citizen who have lived in the Philippines for the past 1.5 years. Now I have started a company in California and I have been issued an E-2 investor's visa. My wife and kids have E-2 "family visas".

We want to bring one of maids with us to the US and applied for a B1 visa for her here in Manila and she got that. It was a very straightforward process and the US Embassy here in Manila is great, at least based on my experience.

Now to my questions: Does my maid need to have any "approval" from any authority here in the Philippines or pay any special fees to be allowed to leave the country? Does she need to stand in the OFW queue at the airport? Or is her US visa that is stamped in her passport enough for the Philippines to allow her to leave the country? She will be travelling with us, if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance!

Hi. Can you let me know the steps on how you were able to bring over a maid? My family also wants to bring our long-time maid in the Philippines who has been working for our family for over 30 years already. Any advice on what you did to get her would be really appreciated.

[Boiler 48,508]

All the information is in the thread.

I am going to assume however your situation is different.

[Elvis1969 0]

Hi. Can you let me know the steps on how you were able to bring over a maid? My family also wants to bring our long-time maid in the Philippines who has been working for our family for over 30 years already. Any advice on what you did to get her would be really appreciated.

I have an E-2 visa, which is an investor's visa, and under that visa you can bring a maid if she has worked for you for at least one year. I think the same applies for diplomat visas but for other visa types I have heard it is more or less impossible.

[aaron2020 11,652]

Maid cannot work in the US on a B-1 visa only. The maid would need a US work permit (EAD) and proof that the employer is paying US wages and following US employment law.

Employer cannot pay PI wages or make her work PI hours.

Edited April 19, 2014 by aaron2020

[Penguin_ie 6,003]

**** three posts removed. Stay constructive and on topic or do not post. *****

[milimelo 4,957]

Maid cannot work in the US on a B-1 visa only. The maid would need a US work permit (EAD) and proof that the employer is paying US wages and following US employment law.

Employer cannot pay PI wages or make her work PI hours.

Correct. Still requires I-765 and prevailing wages of the area you are living in to be paid (contract as proof for interview for visa).