How to prevent legal risks when employing a foreigner as a domestic worker

Understanding your duties and rights as a domestic employer is paramount for fostering a fair and just working environment.

By adhering to legal requirements and ensuring transparent employment practices, employers can protect their own safety and rights as well as that of their domestic workers.

Besides complying with all the general rules and requirement when employing a local domestic worker, you also need to tick off these four points when you are hiring a foreigner: 

1. Obtain a proper original passport and work permit;
2. Verify the validity of the documents;
3. Confirm the expiry date of the passport and work permit. Take note that these documents must be renewed prior to the expiry date;
4. Provide a contract of employment with a specific clause to cover the timeous renewal of the work permit.

How does the renewal of a current work permit work? In cases where your domestic worker has a valid, renewable work permit, he or she does not have to return to the country of origin and the renewal can be done locally. The renewal application must however be done before the current work permit expires. For more information on employer rights and responsibilities, visit (SA)UEO.