UK Au Pair Visa
The UK Au Pair visa has now been replaced by the Tier 5 youth mobility scheme. The UK Au Pair visa is only for a temporary basis.
Benefits
Applying for a UK Au pair Visa allows a person aged between 17 and 27 whom is unmarried and without dependants to learn English and to live with an English-speaking family.
Holders of Au Pair visas are required to assist with housework and take care of any children in the household. An Au Pair may work for up to 5 hours a day, 5 days a week for the family and will normally receive an allowance, generally in the region of £55 per week.
An Au pair will also receive lodgings and would be expected to attend an educational institute at least twice a week to gain further English language skills.
The Au pair scheme does not require a points based assessment like the Highly Skilled Migrant Program or HSMP; it simply requires that an appropriate Au Pair opportunity should be in place. Unlike a UK Visitor Visa, the Au Pair system allows you to work during your time in Great Britain and unlike the Training and Work Experience Scheme or TWES, you will not be required to spend a set amount of time outside the country before being allowed to re-enter the country on a UK Work Permit.
Duration
Au Pair visas are issued for a maximum of two years. If your initial grant was for less than this, you may be able to apply to extend your stay. However, you cannot extend your stay beyond the 2 year limit and you are obliged to leave the country after you have finished working as an Au Pair.
The Au Pair Visa is not intended as a route to settlement in the United Kingdom and will not lead to indefinite leave to remain in the UK (ILR) often referred to as permanent residence. The Au Pair scheme will not lead to the opportunity to under go British Naturalization as a UK citizen; however, it may be possible to switch to another visa immigration service whilst in the United Kingdom.
Holders of an Au Pair visa may switch to a UK Visit visa often known as a Travel Visa or Tourist Visa, although this will be subject to the standard 6-month duration and working will not be permitted. Alternatively, candidates may switch to a Student Visa to under go a degree level course of study in the UK, or in some cases a spouse visa.
Additional Information
Au Pairs may transfer their services from one family to another during their two year stay, so long as the new arrangements continue to satisfy the criteria of the immigration rules.
Relationships
An Au Pair visa is designed as a temporary route that enables the applicant to undertake English language guidance. This service does not allow the candidate to bring relatives over to the UK with them. Dependency visas are not valid under the Au Pair Visa.
The Au pair programme purposely requires that the candidates must be unmarried and have no dependents.
Eligibility
Candidates must fulfil the following criteria in order to be eligible:
» Candidates must be aged between 17 and 27
» Candidates must not be married
» Candidates must not have any dependants
» Candidates must be able to support and accommodate yourself without help from public funds
» Candidates must not plan to stay in Britain for more than 2 years as an Au Pair
» Candidates must plan to leave the country when you complete your stay as an Au Pair
Nationality
Only citizens of the following countries are eligible to apply for this type of visa:
» Andorra
» Romania
» Monaco
» San Marino
» Turkey
» Bulgaria
» Croatia
» Faroe Islands
» Bosnia-Herzegovina
» Greenland
» Macedonia
We have assisted many individuals in moving to the UK on a variety of UK Visas. Our immigration consultants and caseworkers have a wide range of immigration expertise and experience to assist you to find not only the right route into the UK but the best option for yourself from amongst the variety of work permits and UK Visas available.
Capital Visas being a leading specialist in UK immigration can assist you in every aspect of your relocation to the UK, from advice on the initial application process to a range of services to assist you once you have arrived in the UK.