Want to bring our Ayi with us to US

We really love our Ayi and hate to leave after she has cared so well for our two children. She has expressed interest in coming to the US with us, but I don't know where to begin looking for information. Does anyone know anyone I can ask, web resources, experience, advice etc.? I would love to hear from you.

Yes - I call her by her name, some people say she is a BaoMo (childminder), but the kids all call her Ayi (Aunt). I'll let you know if I find anything out!

Sorry - And yes I'm American (and Canadian) :)

One other key question is why YOU are returning to the U.S. If you can convince the visa officer that you are going temporarily, and your job will require you to return overseas after 2-3-4 years, then a temporary working visa for the ayi is a possibility. (The idea is that she will be returning with you for only a temporary stay, and then going overseas with you when you leave the U.S. again.) But you (and she) have to convince the visa officer that this is all legit, and she really will go overseas again later. When she is working in the U.S., you have to pay her the US minimum wage (at least) and pay social security tax, etc. etc.

That's really helpful - Thanks. We will be returning to China in 2-3 years, but only after we finish our teaching degrees so I'm sure they would not agree that that was a guaranteed and legitimate reason. I've gone through US immigration myself (I'm Canadian)it was a nightmare even for me as a virtual US citizen by proximity and family ties. I knew it would be a long shot. Maybe after we have more established careers. Just thought there might have been some sort Nanny work permit like they have EU citizens. Thanks for those thoughts on both the last posts.

There is a nanny work permit, and it falls under a certain visa classification.

I think the main thing would be providing proof of income for the last 3 yrs showing that you can afford to have a nanny in the states. Paying minimum wage, medical wages etc. In addition you will need to provide proof of income in the states.

You should contact Santa Fe in Shanghai - they can handle this http://www.santaferelo.com/ecs/index.jsp

A "Nanny work permit" in the USA? Sorry, no such thing exists. There is a special category of "exchange visitor" for young foreigners (under age 26) to come work as "au pair" nannies (and study at the same time), but no category that would cover a Chinese professional ayi.


The main issue is not whether the employer has enough income (though that would be a consideration); it is whether the nanny will depart at the end of her permitted stay.

I beg to differ, it is called a B-1 visa.. for domestic help.

Voila..


Lawful permanent residents are not generally eligible to sponsor domestic attendants. In the case of United States citizens, only those who are temporarily returning to the U.S. from abroad may sponsor domestic attendants if their stays in the U.S. are temporary in nature and will not exceed four years. However, most A, G, and NATO visa holders and most other nonimmigrant visa holders (B, E, F, H, I, J, L, M, O, P, Q, R, or TN) are eligible to sponsor domestic attendants. The DOS advisory is helpful since it reminds consular officers of the availability of this visa category under law. The advisory will also help more people to take advantage of the B-1 domestic attendant visa. Many people from certain countries are accustomed to having domestic help and may consider bringing such help with them from their home countries to the United States.


One of the requirements for bringing in a domestic attendant is that there must be a signed employment contract between the employer and the nanny. Generally, the contract must stipulate that the employer guarantees the greater of the prevailing wage or the minimum wage, that the employer will provide free room and board, and that s/he will be the sole provider of employment to the B-1 attendant.


With respect to determining the prevailing wage, the DOS considers the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage statistics to most closely reflect a fair living wage for servants and personal employees. It instructs consular officers to rely upon these figures when determining whether employment contract provisions satisfy applicable prevailing wage requirements. Providing a sense of the wage requirements, the DOS listed examples of hourly prevailing wage information for several regions. The Level I hourly prevailing wage for 2004 for "Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners" is $8.84/hour in the New York City area, $6.71/hour in the Washington, DC area, and $6.15/hour in the Miami, FL area. Until these figures were suggested in this DOS update, no one was exactly sure what figures the consular officers would consider when approving the B-1 visa for a domestic attendant.

A B-1 visa applicant must meet three requirements:

The visitor must have a foreign residence that he/she intends to maintain;

The visit must be temporary; and

The objective for the visit is for business purposes.

The B-1 visa excludes those people coming to study, work or represent the foreign press or information media.


A B-1 classification also includes the following under certain circumstances:

Religious ministers and missionaries;

Board members of U.S. corporations;

Servants of non-immigrants or certain U.S. citizens here temporarily;

Professional athletes;

Entertainers;

Still photographers;

Musicians recording for sale outside the U.S.;

Employees of foreign airlines; and

Persons who would ordinarily qualify for H-1 or H-3 qualifications.

A dependent (spouse or child) of a B-1 visa holder is considered a B-2 non-immigrant when accompanying a person on a B-1 visa.

I think you can be her "sponsor" and "guarantor"... I know for UK, you can sponsor a nanny/a-ma to move back home (UK) w/ you/family if she has been w/ you/family for more than 2 years full time in HK. But she can only work for your family and you are responsible for her while she is in UK.

in US it is possible to have a visa for being just a nanny, no need for studies on the same time i had 3 friends from Sweden when i lived in California(San Francisco) and they where just nannies :P and btw older than 25y. so i dont know how that works. Never really asked. and that was post 911 (2002 to 2003)