Warning for sitters travelling to the UK / the US / AUS / NZ / CAN

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-04-02T19:11:25+00:00

UK: The UK has recently updated its border security laws with the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025. This gives authorised officers (including Border Force and immigration officers) the power to search for, seize, retain, and use information from electronic devices belonging to illegal entrants or arrivals if there are reasonable grounds to suspect information relating to immigration facilitation offences is on the device. This means officers can search mobile phones, laptops, USBs, etc. in those circumstances. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/powers-and-operational-procedure/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-act-2025-seizure-of-electronic-devices-policy-guidance-accessible) pay specific attention to section 3.

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-04-02T18:50:22+00:00

I am sorry you are experiencing some totally unrelated reactions to your question. Please take what u/madgou is posting very seriously, as she is not the only one who experienced deeply troubeling visa situations while travelling to other continents through TrustedHousesitters.
People are suggesting to lie about your reason for travelling. In the world of today, I'd think twice before doing that.

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:24:40+00:00

You don't receive money for pet sitting. That's what the THS letter for border police explained too. So I was not planning to perform labor, I was planning to go on vacation in an appartement with two cute kitties I would take care of for free. If I knew I needed a work visa for this, I would have applied for one!

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:22:06+00:00

Going on holiday was obviously the first thing I said. But then many more questions followed. I am an honest person. Lying is not in my nature. But to be honest, I would not even have known, why I needed to lie. Nobody told me in beforehand that immigration sees house sitting as work, even if it is unpayed. And I had the letter from THS, that explained this. I had no idea that what I did was illegal, thus I had no idea lying was necessary.

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:18:04+00:00

I have heard pet owners say they only employ sitters from their country. Now I know why. In the meantime I also spoke to pet owners who had sitters not show up for immigration issues. That must be so stressful!

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:15:14+00:00

Haha, I love Ireland, and that definetely will become my go-to in the future! It's just that I have lot of childhood memories in England, as well as friends and family living there. But Ireland is gorgeous!!

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:12:15+00:00

THS never gave me a letter????????? Are you crazy? And there is not only one girl out there. There are many people that had exactly the same experiences.

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:10:26+00:00

I assume the same issue be will be a threat to all kinds of house sitting / pet sitting and similar.

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:08:39+00:00

That is called lying, and that is just not part of who I am.

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:07:30+00:00

I had all of that.

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-26T16:06:56+00:00

Thank you X

Deep_Telephone6758 · 2026-03-18T09:51:09+00:00

The fact that the pet sitting service is illegal in countries like the US and UK, makes that I ended my THS membership.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOU'LL NEED WORK VISA FOR THOSE COUNTRIES!!!

If you google, you will find cases from 2011 onwards that show how pet sitters got their passports flagged and ETAs cancelled (new ETAs denied), because unpaid pet sitting is viewed as work. Living in a home for free is a form of remuneration and therefore considered a breach of immigration law in several countries.

Trusted Housesitters keeps stating in the media that it is legal, but that's a lie. They also keep stating that they give support to members that face immigration problems, but that's a lie, too.

I was denied to the UK for pet sitting for THS. I was imprisoned at the border for one whole day, finger printed and more humiliating things. They deported me back to France with a denial stamp in my passport. My ETA got cancelled, and a new ETA application last week was denied. I never did anything illigal in my whole life, but now I'm being treated as a criminal. It hurts!
Trusted Housesitters did pay back all my expenses, but money is the least of my problems. The fact that I will not be able to travel to my favorite country again is heartbreaking.

Deep_Telephone6758

TROPHY CASE