Coventry Law Centre : Immigration advice : Information leaflets : Au pairs

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Au pairs

This leaflet explains what the Immigration Rules say about au pairs.

What is an au pair placement?

An au pair placement is an arrangement where a single person between 17 and 27 comes to the United Kingdom to study English and:

Lives for up to two years as a member of an English-speaking family; and
Helps in the home for up to five hours a day with at least two full days off a week, in return for a reasonable allowance and their own room. (The current recommended amount for the weekly allowance is £55).

Which countries are included in the au pair scheme?

An au pair must be a national of one of the following countries:

Andorra
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Croatia
Faroe Islands
Greenland
Macedonia
Monaco
Romania
Republic of Bulgaria
San Marino
Turkey

Although European Economic Area nationals are not included in the au pair scheme, they are free to come to the United Kingdom to take au pair placements.

Do I need a visa as an au pair?

Nationals of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Turkey must get a visa from their British Embassy or Consulate before they travel to the United Kingdom.

How do I qualify to come to the United Kingdom as an au pair?

You must show that you want to come to the United Kingdom on an au pair placement and that:

You are not married;
You have no dependants;
You do not plan to stay in the United Kingdom for more than two years as an au pair;
You can support and accommodate yourself without help from public funds; and
You plan to leave the United Kingdom when you complete your stay as an au pair.

What are public funds?

If you come to live or stay in the United Kingdom, you must be able to support and accommodate yourself without claiming certain state benefits. These are:

Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA);
housing and homelessness assistance;
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit;
Working Families Tax Credit;
a social fund payment
Child Benefit, or
any disability allowance.

Can I move to another 'host' family?

You may move to another family as long as the new arrangements continue to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules.

Can I extend my stay as an au pair?

You can apply to extend your stay if:

you were given permission to enter the United Kingdom as an au pair;
you have an au pair placement; and
an extension would not take your stay beyond two years from the date you were first given permission to enter.

Fees

For this application there is a fee of £155 (postal service) for applications made by post and £250 (premium service) for applications made in person at one of the Public Enquiry Offices. For postal applications you can pay by

cheque (personal or business)
postal order
debit card (Delta or Switch)
Credit card (Visa or Mastercard only).

Cheque payments should be made payable to 'Home Office Leave to Remain'.

Please don't send any cash.

Do I have to register with the police?

If you have to register with the police, the Immigration & Nationality Directorate will stamp this requirement in your passport. You must register within seven days of arriving in the United Kingdom.

To register, you will need your passport and two passport-size photographs of yourself. If you are staying in the Metropolitan Police Area, you should take these to the Overseas Visitors Records Office, Brandon House, 180 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LH, between 9am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. If you are not staying the Metropolitan Area, you should contact your local police force for the address and opening hours of other police registration offices. You will have to pay a fee for registering with the police.

How do I apply?

You will need to complete an application form. Applicants (except those for asylum and work permits or under European Community law) will not be valid unless they are made on the appropriate application form. You can get copies of application forms from Coventry Law Centre.

To apply for further leave to remain, please use form FLR(O).

You should send the completed form, by post, before your permission to stay ends. The application form will give you details of all the documents you will need to send with your application and where you should send it.

We would advise you to send the application by recorded delivery and keep a copy of your Applicant form and documents you send to the Immigration & Nationality Directorate.

If you need to travel urgently, you can apply in person at one of the Immigration & Nationality Directorate's public enquiry offices.

All documents should be originals unless you have a good reason why you cannot produce them with your application. The Immigration & Nationality Directorate will not normally accept photocopies.

What should I do if I have problems?

If you are having difficulties with your host family, you may ask your agency for help. You could contact the Coventry Law Centre on our free legal advice line on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10:00am and 12:00noon on 024 76253168.