Cecilia's experience - finding somewhere to live and work

The advice worker explained that because of my case being particularly complicated due to my visa type she would find me a solicitor. The solicitor explained she would work for me and try and ask the Home Office for me to be allowed to change employers as any other domestic worker who didn’t work for a diplomat would be able to. However she also explained that this would take a long time and the Home Office might say no anyway.

In the meantime I would have to find somewhere to live and a way to support myself without having permission to work for anyone else.  I said I would like to try and make an application to the Home Office even if there was very little chance of success as I knew there was no way I could return to my country until I had some money for all the years I had worked without being paid. My family had borrowed money as I wasn’t able to send money home and there was no way I would be able to pay this back other than earning some money here. 

Surviving in the UK was very hard. No one wanted to employ me without the correct papers. The only people who would employ me would pay me almost nothing because I didn’t have a visa. Many times I would work just for somewhere to sleep and instead of making any money to send home I instead had to borrow money from friends.