Lots of people use VPNs for security whether it’s through their company or not. I really don’t think that it raises red flags. I don’t know about other countries, but in the US people are very security conscious.
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This is exactly what it means, whether it’s a location in some cases or data (possibly) in your case
I work in IT, for any company above a certain size they’ll have a cyber security team managing all controls and protocols. Included would be limiting the installation of any software to company devices without a security review and a particular business use. If someone decided they knew more than the team dedicated to that, LOTS of questions would be asked.
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This is exactly what it means
I don’t need to expose myself, my activities or my location to anyone I do not wish to, be that you or anyone else. I have a fundamental right to privacy and security without anyone suggesting that to do so is nefarious behaviour.
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@cawosey Hmm ?? I have exactly zero interest and opinion in your (or anybody else’s) location and/or data and whether you expose or encrypt it
Yes, I use it for data security, I’m ensuring I meet the requirements of my confidentiality agreements. A VPN does not mean I’m trying to hide my location.
That depends on the country. Some countries probably don’t care but others will consider that remote work is still work. The immigration laws of many countries have not adapted to remote work.
In my immigration career I have often been asked whether a person can work in the US remotely for a company based in another country. It is a topic on which even the most experienced lawyers disagree, but many consider it unauthorized. See this article, for example: https://www.santoslloydlaw.com/remote-work-policies-can-i-work-remotely-in-the-united-states-on-my-visa
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My interest is also because I’ve just spent the last few months in 100s of hours researching Parent Visas for Australia- in case we move there. I discovered on an 864 Aged Parent Visa (67+ 12 years to complete and $40,000 ) we’ll get a Bridging Visa BVA that allows us to work or volunteer. It’s strange that aged 67+ when we would no longer want to work that we will be allowed to…. bits worth it for the volunteering which I think house/pet sitting counts as?
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@BonnyinBrighton
As of February 24, there were a whopping 66 countries issuing nomad visas, including around 25 European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. They all differ regarding requirements, processing time, and cost. Yes, you can buy a nomad visa today (it was free only a couple of years ago). The more you’re willing to pay, the easier and quicker you can get it. The easiest visa to get today (and probably the most expensive) is in Dubai.
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@anon47943759 huh! I only just finished reading a very extensive article on the countries issuing nomad visas, the requirements and costs etc. Very interesting read, and very expensive and difficult for some countries hey.
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Randomly, this reminds me about a guy who subcontracted out his job to folks in India and was found out, because they were logging in from IP addresses that seemed odd to the security folks at his employer. 
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There was even a bigger scandal last week involving 300 US companies who hired remote North Korean IT workers, who posed as US citizens.
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Because of our remote profile location we get reminders to download the mentioned immigration letters for every sit, but we’ve never done it. We travel as tourists, so our primary objective is always tourism, not to petsit. If we wanted to do some volunteer petsitting we will just go to the local animal shelter.
I am wondering though if THS staff is using their own letters when petsitting internationally and if they can share any success stories?
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My sitters were entering the USA from Canada by road and were refused entry by the border agents. They were told that even though the sit was not going to be paid, it could be considered work and so was potentially taking work away from Americans. My understanding is that they were fingerprinted, and red flagged and told they could not try an alternate border crossing. This was upsetting to my sitters and inconveniencing to both of us.
I have brought this to the attention of TH admin and been informed this has happened in a very small handful of cases. I have used a sitter from Canada in the past with no problem, and have had other sitters from other countries that have been travelling around the USA which seems fine. But if someone is crossing the border and states their purpose is to provide voluntary, unpaid pet sitting they may be denied entry.
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I’m writing to make people aware that our sitter was previously denied entry into the US as customs viewed that they were taking a job away from an American. This was at the US Canadian border near Quebec. This was the first sit for the sitter with THS. (It was to be our 5th). The sitters showed US customs the THS letter that apparently is provided to sitters. This letter apparently explains the exchange process. It did not matter to the Custom officer. This very sweet couple in their 30s were fingerprinted! Their home and job addresses were taken. My address in the US was taken. Their Canadian passports have been flagged for future travel to the US and they basically were treated as criminals!!
We were so upset for them, for us, and especially our 2 cats. Both we and the sitters reached out to THS immediately and they acknowledged although rare they had other sitters denied entry near the Vancouver area of Canada. Maybe if our sitters had not mentioned the exchange arrangement and just indicated they were vacationing in Boston, there may have been no issue. We will never know.
As the owner, I was left scrambling with hours before our flight departure to try to find a paid pet sitter. There was little time for an introduction to the cats or the home or any of the issues that we needed covered.
Although this is not THS’s fault, in searching the website and forum I can find no mention of problems entering the US. I think both owners and sitters need to be aware that it is a possibility, even if rare. Unfortunately, it now makes me not want to hire a sitter that has to travel from another country even though we were always open to that. I do think THS should have more information that this could be a possibility for the sitters and certainly the owners. Thank goodness this trip is only a week rather than our 3 week trip this August that I’m about to post.
Has this happened to others?
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Since my above reply was posted I became aware of the existing thread about this issue! it has been eye opening and apparent that border refusal happens quite a bit, in several countries, not just the USA. Reading the thread raises the following thoughts:
Housesitting for TH actually does potentially take jobs away from locals - as in the example below where the pet owner had to scramble last minute to find a paid sitter when the TH sitter was stopped at the border.
How that law gets interpreted is up to the border guards, not you or me or TH. The agents have the power, and can unexpectedly drill down into specifics.
In my own experience being evasive or misleading to border guards sometimes goes badly and I know of instances where someone was denied entry for a long time. And they can access way more information about you than you ever can imagine (I once had to prove I was me in an interrogation by TSA years ago because I had lost my drivers license entering the same airport just days before.) I also have been told there is a flag in my record for unwittingly doing something not allowed at the border (letting my adult chld cross separately on foot to try to reduce wait times since she did not have nexus, while I crossed with her bag in the car - not allowed) and at the next infraction will have it removed permanently.
So - you the fact you have may have had no problems so far perhaps means you have just been lucky.
I now will only engage with sitters who reside within the country, or who are in the middle of a trip within the country, not just crossing for my sit. Which is a bummer, living right near the border and knowing there are many great sitters just over it.
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Sas:
We do a lot of international sits and we know others who do as well.
It’s important to keep in mind not just the current location of someone applying for a sit, but also their nationality.
Many people have double or even triple nationality so even if someone appears to be living in a country doesn’t mean they are solely American, Canadian, British, an EU citizen.
My husband and I hold four nationalities between us. We’ve done sits all over - but completely legally since we have a right to work in the EU, UK, USA, Canada.
Agreed that if you’re talking to someone in Alaska and your home is in Cyprus, the logistics may be daunting - but if the sitter is an American/EU citizen, the border wil pose no issue.
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TRUDZIE -
I think it’s an important issue for HOs and Sitters to keep in mind.
These days so many people are dual citizens, or one of a couple is one nationality and second another nationality that you could simply ask the question about “right to work” of a sitter: or put it in your posting.
My husband & I have four nationalities between us so it’s never an issue - but yes, I have heard of people refused entry to a country because they did not have “right to work” and told border personnel they were planning to do a sit.
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Ah, the (in)famous letter. Do not ever show that letter to border security. Showing it will not grant you entry to the US but will guarantee denial.
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As the owner, I had no idea the sitters were provided this letter! When my sitter called from the border to tell me US homeland security considered the letter a “work” exchange and were being denied entry, this was my first knowledge. I wish owners knew more about this potential problem so it can be a discussion in selecting a sitter. To know how other experienced THS sitters have handled it. The fact that most sitters skip using the “recommended” letter is an important piece of info to know. Had I known this issue, I would have had a discussion with my sitter about how to address this before they ever got to the border! But apparently only the sitter is told about the letter.
As an owner, is there anything in the main THS website that explains the issues around the use of this letter? It should be known by BOTH parties. I know now that it has been discussed in some other forum threads but I didn’t even know about it to do a search. There is no cautionary info about this potential in the main site. There should be a footnote at least giving both the owner and the sitter some idea that this has been an issue, and let them decide whether to use the letter or not. To get a call hours before my sitters arrival and to hear about “the letter” while my sitter is sobbing that they are sorry that they can’t come was, was very upsetting and stressful for all especially my pets who had no company for a week!!
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