My wife and I are newlywed digital nomads from Brazil, and we are planning our first house sits in the US using a B1/B2 tourist visa.
We know that border control can be very strict regarding the purpose of the trip. Since house sitting is a mutual exchange and not paid work, we want to make sure we don’t cause any misunderstandings at the airport.
For those of you who travel internationally to sit in the US: How do you usually introduce your trip to the immigration officers? Do you state you are staying with friends, booking temporary Airbnbs, or just doing standard tourism?
We would love to hear your experiences, tips, and what documentation you usually carry to prove your ties to your home country.
Standard tourism. Do not mention house sitting, fast track to deportation at best. I would also have a return ticket or ticket out of the US or they will be suspicious of your intentions. Good luck.
If you look in the search under challenges with border control you will find there is a huge thread. Borders have become tighter everywhere but the USA in particular and sitting is certainly regarded as work. Lots of International sitters are avoiding the USA at the moment.
You are taking a risk. The short answer is that you are not allowed an in kind non monetary exchange like house sitting on a tourist visa no matter what trusted housesitters tells you. And the border guards can look at your social media. So check out the challenges with border guards threads and news online about housesitters being stopped at the US border. You can’t be transparent by telling immigration you are going to be housesitting and expect to be let in.
Do not fly through Florida or Texas as your entry point. Pick a big busy airport, LAX, SFO, JFK. Especially coming from Brazil. In Miami especially they treat everyone coming from South America like drug dealers, including us (and we are straight arrow middle aged US citizens).
Otherwise relax, you are traveling and visiting friends. Do delete the THS app from your phone, delete any Whatsapp communication dealing with house-sitting. Do have the full names and address of the people you are are sitting for, and make sure they also understand you are friends invited to visit.
My last sitters came from overseas and were nervous - we assured them we would back them up if Immigration called but they entered the US at SFO and it was easy, 2 minutes at most.
If you are very concerned book a motel for the first 2-3 nights, then cancel when you arrive.
Also, pack like a tourist would pack. Bring guide books, maybe have tickets to an attraction pre-booked. Do not pack coffee makers, pillows/pillow cases etc, small bags of spices, really no food products at all - these are things housesitters may pack, tourist staying with friends and/or hotels never pack like that. And coming from South America you want to look as tourist as possible.
If you keep your cool it’s fine. Again, avoid Miami especially (also most of Florida and I’d skip Houston especially too).
Good luck! Really most go through with non-issue, just be careful and smart. So many beautiful places to see when you get through. Our sitters had the best time once they got through Immigration!
I say I’m a tourist. If they ask for an address I’d either be staying with friends (home owners’ address if I’m going straight there) or Airbnb/hotel if that’s my first port of call. If you mention you’re housesitting you’ll likely be put on the next available plane home!
We’re digital nomads & full time international house sitters with mixed Brit Turk passports so often flag at borders. Don’t mention house sitting. You’re a tourist. If asked then - here’s my flight home, here’s where I work, here are my proof of funds, here’s my rough itinerary. Would remove the THS app off your phone and web search and possibly ask your host to write a letter saying “these are our friends from Brazil who are staying with us from this time to this time and here are my contact details.” We’ve actually only ever been asked why we’re visiting, when we’re leaving, hotel booking proof and proof of flight out, never for funds. We will caveat that with we don’t sit in the USA. Keep it simple, we like the tourist packing advice from @Felinelover with no food and a guide book. #bigsmiles
You’ve already had some detailed and fabulous advice. The only suggestion I have to add is to keep calm, cool and be polite. Under no circumstances should you question the agent who is asking you reasons for your visit to the USA.
Do you already have an onward flight booked, or at least a flight out of the US? If not there are sites where you can pay a small fee ($10) and get a flight booking that’s automatically cancelled after 24-48 hours. Search for onwardflights dot com.
Be polite, be respectful, be courteous. The agents can seem aggressive and intimidating to some people, but do remember they are only doing their job.
Basically to be clear, it is literally illegal to pet-sit for free without a work visa in the USA. There is no workaround for this other than to lie.
THS have got sitters in a lot of trouble not being clear about this.
If you choose to take the personal risk which may mean deportation, then the best way (not legal advice) is to arrange with the owner to say to officers that you are friends visiting a friend. You aren’t pet or house sitters. You are friends and yes you need to know things about them (their vocation, how you met them, what you plan to do etc.). The TSA might call them to verify the claim and ask questions to you and then them - separately. You must have the same identical story about how you met and know each other.
That also means, you must have enough money in your bank account to show you can afford to stay for the duration of your stay.
You must not look poverty stricken and you must be clear you aren’t working in the USA and have your own financial means.
This is NOT a guarantee you will be safe and not deported as the US is at times heavy-handed currently. I was interviewed for 45 minutes. It’s no joke. I believe he let me pass because he saw my luggage contents was holiday-related and well organised. It contained high quality clothing that showed I had little incentive (need) to work in the US. They also asked me about my job and income sources.
If lucky, you’ll just breeze though. The above was a scary situation for me.
I’m planning to spend around 3 to 4 months in the United States, moving from house to house.
My idea for getting through immigration is to put together a solid tourist itinerary for that period, including a few hotel and Airbnb reservations with free cancellation through Booking and Airbnb, as well as possibly purchasing some attractions within the country that also offer free cancellation.
I’m also thinking about buying a return ticket with either a fixed date or a flexible option that allows changes or cancellation.
I believe saying that I’m going there to work as a caregiver would not be a good idea, especially since my visa has never been used before, and that could raise more suspicion or even create immigration issues.
Because of that, it seems safer to enter as a tourist, present a fictional travel itinerary, and then cancel all reservations and flights after entering the country.
Hmmm, the advice I got when I flew to the US last summer was quite the opposite: avoid big, busy airports, especially JFK, which is apparently the worst of them all. Instead, use smaller, regional non-hub airports, some of which offer direct flights to Brazil or connections through another South American city.
I think that’s your only option. None of us here can give you advice that’s legal or fail safe, it’s simply based on our own experiences. We’ve been to the US quite a few times but never for a house sit and not post Covid so our thoughts are general international travel advice. #keepitsimple
My number one piece of advice is book at least the first night in a hotel or Airbnb then you can honestly say you are staying there. Then the rest of the stay is with friends.
Answer the questions with short statements. Do not give supplementary information. Don’t crack jokes. Please and thank you work every time.
We traveled on a B1/B2 visa for ten years in US. Never had any trouble at any border crossing.
Good grief, never ever ever mention staying in a house looking after pets!! That’s the fast track to getting denied entry, particularly in the USA.
You are tourists on holiday, travelling around visiting [insert tourist attractions] & hope to catch up with friends. Always have your first night booked in a hotel.
You need to read the mega thread “challenges with border guards”.