Au pairs (INF 16)

Guidance - Au pairs (INF 16)
Last updated 16 July 2008

This guidance explains what you need to do if you want to come to the United Kingdom (UK) as an au pair, and what the Immigration Rules say. It is only a guide but it aims to answer some common questions.

What is an au pair placement?
An au pair placement is an arrangement where a single person between 17 and 27 years of age comes to the UK to learn English and:

  • lives for up to two years as a member of an English-speaking family, with appropriate opportunities for study, 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.

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How do I qualify to travel to the UK as an au pair?
You must show that you want to come to the UK on an au pair placement and that you:

  • are not married or in a civil partnership
  • have no dependants
  • do not plan to stay in the UK for more than two years as an au pair
  • can support yourself and live without getting any help from public funds, and
  • intend to leave the UK when you complete your au pair placement.

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Which countries are included in the au pair scheme?
An au pair must be a national of one of the following countries.

Andorra
 Faroe Islands
 Monaco
Bosnia-Herzegovina
 Greenland
 San Marino
Croatia
 Macedonia
 Turkey

Nationals of Romania and Bulgaria will need an accession worker card from the UK Border Agency before taking up an au pair placement.

Although European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals are not included in the au pair scheme, they are free to come to the UK to take au pair placements.
 
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Do I need a visa?
Nationals of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey must get a visa before they travel to the UK.

If you do not need an entry clearance when you arrive in the UK, you will have to satisfy an Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry as an au pair. If you do so, the Immigration Officer will give you permission to stay for six months.

To extend your stay you will need to apply to the UK Border Agency. (Contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance). The UK Border Agency will charge a non-refundable fee for any extension application.
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What is a visa?
A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document by an Entry Clearance Officer at a British mission overseas. The visa gives you permission to enter the UK.

If you have a valid UK visa, we will not normally refuse you entry to the UK unless your circumstances have changed, or you gave false information or did not tell us important facts when you applied for your visa.

When you arrive in the UK an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.
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How do I apply for a visa?
You can apply in a number of ways, for example by post, by courier, in person and online. The visa section will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.

Some visa sections will only accept applications made online. To find out if you can apply for your visa online plesse visit www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk

If you cannot apply online you will need to fill in a visa application form VAF 2 – Employment. You can download the form from this website, or get one free of charge from your nearest visa application centre.

You shyould apply for an au pair visa in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live.

In some countries, if you are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months, you may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we will accept your application. You can find out if you need to be tested by using our Do I need a visa? questionnaire on the homepage of this website, or by contacting your nearest visa application centre.
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What are visa application centres?
In some countries, we are working with commercial companies to run visa application centres (VACs). The VACs are in largely populated areas, making it easier and more convenient for people to apply for a UK visa. Trained staff at each VAC deal with all visa enquiries and applications. They collect your biometric information (see the relevant section of this leaflet) along with the relevant fees, and provide unbiased, face-to-face advice on the application process, including whether or not you have included all the necessary documents. Entry clearance staff at the British mission will then consider your application and decide whether to issue or refuse your visa. VAC staff have no say in this decision.
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What will I need to make my application?
You will need to make your application online or fill in the following visa application form: 

  Application form VAF2 - Employment
  Employment form guidance notes

You will also need the following:

  • Your passport or travel document.
  • A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of yourself.
    This should be:
    • taken against a light-coloured background
    • clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
    • printed on normal photographic paper, and
    • full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons (but the face must not be covered).
  • The visa fee. This cannot be refunded, and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
  • Supporting documents relevant to your application.

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What is 'biometric' information?
All UK visa applicants, save for those benefiting from a limited number of exemptions and exceptions, are required to provide biometric data (10-digit fingerscans and a digital photograph) as part of the application process.

You will have to go to your nearest visa application centre in person to provide your biometrics. In those countries where there is no visa application centre, you will need to go to the British mission.

Your visa application will not be processed until you have provided the necessary biometric information. The finger scans are electronic so staff do not need to use any ink, liquid or chemicals. You will have your digital photograph taken at the same time and the whole procedure should take no more than five minutes to complete. You should make sure that you do not have any decoration (such as henna), or any cuts or other markings on your fingertips before having your finger scans. You should also make sure that if you have any cuts and bruises on your face, they have healed or disappeared before you have your photograph taken. Digital photographs must be of your full face and you should not wear sunglasses, a hat or any other head covering (unless you wear it for cultural or religious reasons but the face must not be covered).
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What supporting documents should I include with my application?
You should include all the documents you can to show that you qualify for entry to the UK as an au pair. If you do not, we may refuse your application.

As a guide, you should include:

  • a letter of introduction from the family you will be staying with in the UK (the host family), which outlines the main terms and conditions of your employment.

We will refuse your application if we find that any documents are forged.
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What will happen when I make my application?
The Entry Clearance Officer will try to make a decision using your application form and the supporting documents you have provided. If this is not possible, they will need to interview you.

Please check your visa when you get it. You should make sure that:

  • your personal details are correct
  • it correctly states the purpose for which you want to come to the UK, and
  • it is valid for the date on which you want to travel. (You can ask for it to be post-dated for up to three months if you do not plan to travel immediately).

If you think that there is anything wrong with your visa, contact the visa section immediately.
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What are public funds?
Under the Immigration Rules, if you want to travel to the UK you must be able to support yourself and live without claiming certain benefits. A full list of public funds is available on the UK Border Agency website.

You can find more information about public funds in the Immigration Directorate Instructions (IDIs) and Immigration Rules on the UK Border Agency website.

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Can I move to another host family?
You can move to another family as long as the new arrangements continue to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
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Can I apply to extend my stay as an au pair?
You can apply to extend your stay as an au pair if:

  • you were originally given permission to enter the UK 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 first arrived in the UK.

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More advice and information

The UK Border Agency
For more advice and information about extending your stay once you are in the UK:

The UK Border Agency
Croydon Public Caller Unit
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 2BY
Phone: (+44) (0)870 606 7766 (general enquiries)
Phone: (+44) (0)870 241 0645 (application forms)
Email: indpublicenquiries@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk

UK Border Agency, Visa Services Directorate
London SW1A 2AH

Immigration Advisory Service (IAS)
The Immigration Advisory Service is the UK's largest charity providing advice and respresentation in asylum, immigration and nationality law. It has offices right accross the UK and abroad. It provides a free service to those who are eligible. It may also be able to help those who are not eligible. The IAS is a non-profit service.

Immigration Advisory Service
3rd Floor, County House
190 Great Dover Street
London SE1 4YB
Phone: (+44) (0)20 7967 1200
Phone: (+44) (0)20 8814 1559 (duty office open 24 hours a day)
Fax: (+44) (0)20 7403 5875
Email:advice@iasuk.org
Website: www.iasuk.org

Au pair agencies
For addresses of au pair agencies, contact the following organisations.

Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) 36-38 Mortimer Street
London W1W 7RG
Website: www.rec.uk.com

International Au Pair Association (IAPA)
c/o FIYTO
Bredegade 25 H
DK. 1260 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Telephone: (+45) 3317 0066
Fax: (+45) 3393 9676
Email: mailbox@iapa.org
Website: www.iapa.org

The British Au Pair Agencies Association (BAPAA) is the British subsidiary of IAPA. Please visit their website at www.bapaa.org.ukwww.bapaa.org.uk.

Revenue and Customs
For advice on bringing personal belongings and goods into the UK contact:

HM Revenue & Customs
Dorset House
Stamford Street
London SE1 9PY
Phone: (+44) (0)845 010 9000
Website: www.hmrc.gov.uk

Drugs warning
Anyone found smuggling drugs into the UK will face serious penalties. Drug traffickers may try to bribe travellers. If you are travelling to the UK, avoid any involvement with drugs.

False documents
It is better to explain why you do not have a document than to submit a false document with an application. Applicants will be automatically refused and may be banned from coming to the UK for 10 years if they use a false document, lie or withhold relevant information.  They may also be banned if they have breached immigration laws in the UK.

Travellers to the UK who produce a false travel document or passport to the UK immigration authorities for themselves and/or their children are committing an offence. People found guilty of this offence face up to two years in prison or a fine (or both).

Alternative formats
In the UK we also have versions of our guidance notes in Braille, on audio tape and in large print. If you would like any guidance notes in one of these formats, please contact us:

UK Border Agency, Visa Services Directorate
London SW1A 2AH

Further information

 

The official British Government website for visa services

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