Americans detained and blacklisted from countries after using petsitting travel 'hack'
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It looks like a genius travel hack. Take care of someone's home and pets while they are away in exchange for the chance to travel the world.
But for some Americans, this hack turned into a nightmare, seeing them interrogated by border force and blacklisted from entering certain countries.
UK-based TrustedHousesitters advertises that users can 'stay for free with adorable animals in unique homes around the world.'
'Sit as often as you like, wherever you like,' the company's website reads.
Americans use the site to travel to the UK, Canada, Australia, and countries all over Europe.
Sitters are not paid, but they have to be verified, and the site has been running for over a decade and says it has over 230,000 members across the world. A yearly membership costs between $149 and $299 a year.
But users are claiming that TrustedHousesitters is leaving customers at risk of being detained and denied entry to countries.
They claim that the site does not adequately explain that house sitting, even if unpaid, is considered work in many parts of the world - and therefore needs a work visa.
And as President Donald Trump ramps up his immigration crackdown, experts are warning that travelers are likely to face increased scrutiny at US borders, which could put sitters who are unaware of the rules at greater risk.
TrustedHousesitters tells members house and pet sitting is not work, and encourages sitters to print 'explanatory letters for border control' which can be found on its website.
'Our traveller members, in subscribing to our site, are purposefully seeking a more cost-efficient manner of vacationing, and NOT to seek a "job", to take away an employment opportunity from an American/Permanent Resident, or to otherwise provide a service for payment in the United States,' one letter reads.
But the Daily Mail spoke to users who claim that these letters 'all but sealed the deal for members being refused entry to the USA and the UK' because they did not have the correct work visa.
'If they are not being paid, living in the home is a form of remuneration, and therefore it is considered to be a clear breach of US immigration law,' immigration attorney Michael Wildes told the Daily Mail.
On the TrustedHousesitters online forum, some users openly encourage others to lie to immigration about the real reason for entering a country.
TrustedHousesitters says it does not provide opportunities for work and has been consistently advised by international immigration lawyers, including in the US, that their members are travelling for leisure purposes, not work.
The company also told the Daily Mail it has not seen an increase of members being detained at US borders this year.
Don Nelson and his wife Marlene, who live in Prescott, Arizona, were detained in the middle of the night when trying to enter the UK for a five-week stay organized through TrustedHousesitters.
The animal lovers had their passports taken and blackmarked, and were forced to fork out over $3,000 for a one-way ticket back to the US.
The couple were travelling to Belfast, Northern Ireland, directly from another house sit in Spain in January 2018 when the incident occurred, Don told the Daily Mail.
'That's where we hit a Border Force officer who was anything but pleasant. And it turned out we were the last flight in at around a quarter to midnight,' he said.
The couple had previously done a house sit in England and had no issues at the border, so they explained they were there for another house sit.
'Because we were in the UK again we didn't think anything of it. But he told us we were going to be detained and we were going to be refused entry to the country. We were there for three hours,' Don explained.
Despite speaking to a representative from TrustedHousesitters, who said the couple were tourists because they would spend money on the local economy, the Border Force officer was unconvinced.
'He said we were taking employment away from the citizens of Northern Ireland,' said Don. 'He wrote us up. It was humiliating.'
And, Don claims, that was the extent of the help that TrustedHousesitters gave them.
He says the company refused to help them with legal advice, and said they should know the immigration and visa rules for the country they are trying to enter.
'We said to them: "This is your country. You should know the rules of your own country." And they did nothing.'
Their passports were taken from them and they had to book flights that same day out of Belfast, through London, and back to the US, which cost over $3,000.
'We were escorted by a Border Force officer who, only when we boarded the plane, would give our passports back.
'And we had this black mark against travel into the UK. So as soon as we got back to the US, we started to pursue legal avenues to have this black mark removed from our passports.'
Don tried to get the black mark removed by contacting immigration organizations in the UK, but his and Marlene's applications were denied.
Eventually, he decided it was not worth the effort or cost to pursue legal action.
The couple found that they were able to enter the UK if they applied for visas - which cost hundreds of dollars each - and even then they would face questioning from the border officials.
'Any time we travel to the UK, or even just transit through, we run the danger of being denied entry at that point,' he told the Daily Mail.
In the years since the incident, the couple have renewed their passports. There is no longer a physical mark, but the digital footprint remains.
Don eventually also gave up trying to contact TrustedHousesitters for help. 'They never backed us in anything that we did,' he said.
He believes it would not be in the company's best interests to warn people about the risks.
'They would lose a significant number of members if people found out you can't enter the US or couldn't go to the UK for house sitting.'
One such former member is Madolline Gourley, from Brisbane, Australia, who was refused entry to the US in 2022 on her way to a cat sitting job in Canada.
'The border officer at LAX started asking questions, and I didn't want to lie as that would make the situation infinitely worse,' she told the Daily Mail.
'I was interrogated for two or three hours, and refused entry as they said I didn't have a work permit to engage in house and cat sitting.'
She now cannot enter or transit through the US.
Madolline has found scores of other people online from across the world who have had similar experiences and accuse the company of misleading them.
Many have posted about their experiences on an online forum. In one post viewed by the Daily Mail, a user said their passport was flagged when they tried to enter the UK.
'I was even asked if I was entering the country to do animal care,' it read.
Another post from a traveler dated December 2024 said they were not allowed to enter Seattle from Canada.
'The border services agents turned me away after fingerprinting me and photographing me like a criminal. Along with my children,' it read.
On TrustedHousesitters' website, it provides letters for members to show immigration officials in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, which suggest that since the stays are not paid, travelers do not need a work visa.
'These letters have all but sealed the deal for members being refused entry to the US and UK because they didn't have a work visa to house and pet sit in either location,' said Madolline.
'It advertises that it's the perfect way to travel the world, and you can look after pets and stay in cool apartments, but it needs a disclaimer saying you need a work visa to do this in the US or the UK.'
The fault lies with TrustedHousesitters for giving the wrong advice, she added.
In the UK, the company is currently being investigated by Trading Standards, a national consumer advocate group, for potential breaches of protection regulations and misleading users.
In the US, Trump is continuing to ramp up border controls amid an aggressive immigration crackdown.
British tourists planning trips to the US are being warned of increasingly tough questioning at border control.
The UK foreign office updated its guidance to travelers last month to include a warning that anyone found breaking its rules 'may be liable to arrest or detention.'
Wildes, managing partner at New York-based immigration law firm Wildes & Weinberg, believes house sitting is a 'clear breach' of US law.
'If the person tells the truth they are going to be stopped when they come in,' he told the Daily Mail.
'If the person lies and the government sees that they are living in somebody's home, and the method of payment is that they are living rent-free, that is a clear breach. You are in trouble either way.
'You need a visa to cover yourself.'
Wildes, who is also a professor at Cardozo law School in Manhattan and a former federal prosecutor, warned that there will be greater scrutiny at US borders under the current Trump administration.
'There's greater scrutiny and more people being referred to what's considered to be secondary inspections than ever before.'
A TrustedHousesitters spokesperson said: 'We regret the challenges that a tiny handful of our members have faced and we give support when such rare instances occur.
'There has been no increase in the rate of these incidents for our members at US borders this year.
'We provide pet lovers with the opportunity to travel affordably, enjoying unique holidays. TrustedHousesitters does not provide opportunities for work and has been consistently advised by international immigration lawyers, including in the US, that our members are travelling for leisure purposes, not work.
'Our website includes prominent details and guidance on immigration for our members and we share specific advice when members are confirming their international sits, to ensure they can verify all personal requirements before travelling to countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA.'
Regarding UK sits, the THS spokesperson added: 'TrustedHousesitters instructed Tom Hickman KC. His legal opinion confirms that, under the current UK Immigration Rules, border officials can lawfully conclude that individuals entering the UK as TrustedHousesitters sitters are "genuine visitors".
'The opinion notes that THS sitters are not engaged in "work" as defined under the UK IRs, as their activities (i) are not remunerated, (ii) are domestic in nature rather than of a business character, (iii) are inherently linked to accommodation in a private home for tourism or visiting friends and family, and (iv) are of short duration.'
