expatinscotland, had she employed him directly she might have been able to, I know people who have been able to get visas for their domestic staff on a temporary basis; though they have had very good reasons.
I think I am disappointed the thread was pulled, I wanted to see if anyone had answered some of the questions I had (like how it would be to anyone's advantage or decrease the inequalities in the world if I didn't employ my housekeeper) though even very early on MOS was fairly open about having intended to get people going - I said something about 'this was never going to go down well on here' and she said, basically, that was the plan!
I hope the comments above about expats banging on about how grateful their staff are don't refer to me; I didn't say that; though I did comment on what my housekeeper has managed to do in the Philippines with her money during the time she has been in the Gulf (not just with me). I don't suppose she is any more "grateful" than I am to my employer, though we have a good relationship.
I also don't get the people going on about it being demeaning for someone to do your housework for you; was it demeaning for the cleaning service I had in the UK (when I didn't have children, just a job with long hours) to come in and clean? is it demeaning for the lady who cleans for my mum to come in and do that?
Yes the term houseboy is alien to many ears; if that were the only issue I would have understood, but the anti-domestic-staff brigade, I just didn't see where they were coming from; would the rest of the thread have made it any clearer, I wonder?