Allow Au Pairs to enter Germany, France & Norway - Petition

The entry stop for Au Pairs unnecessarily increases the burden on families: Au Pairs, especially from third countries, must be allowed to enter again, even now under the Corona restriction. Au Pair visas must be issued quickly and without major bureaucratic hurdles. More than 15,000 families in Germany depend on the support of an au pair. Since March, no au pairs from third countries have been able to enter Germany and it is not yet clear when they will be able to enter again. 

 

Click here for the petition in Germany

 

Although an Au Pair only supports the family with childcare for a few hours a day, it contributes to a large extent to the parents' ability to combine family and career. Now, during the restrictions imposed by the Corona crisis, it is mainly women who reduce their working hours in order to cope with childcare.

 

Is it really politically desired that society should return to supposedly outdated role patterns - the woman stays at home while the man goes to work? We are not yet talking about the long-term risks for women's career paths, with all the disadvantages that this entails, including poverty in old age.

 

Thousands of Au Pairs would like to get to know the language and culture of the country by living with a host family and thus broaden their general education. For many, the time of travel is only possible in a certain phase of life and cannot be postponed until later. Even in times of Corona, young people need the chance to broaden their horizons and develop personally. We therefore urgently request an exemption for the entry of Au Pairs. 

 

We have submitted a petition to the German Bundestag to allow Au Pairs to enter Germany again and to obtain a special regulation for Au Pairs. We ask for your cooperation by signing the petition.

 

If you sign the petition, you can tell the government why you need an Au Pair in your situation. In this way the responsible politicians will get a clearer picture of why they have to act.

 

Even if you yourself do not need an Au Pair at the moment, please support the families who need an au pair now more than ever.

 

Click here for the petition in Germany

 

The situation is very similar in France, where no Au Pair visas are being issued and candidates from Third countries are left out from the program. Au Pairs are still not considered essential workers:

 

"The French government should consider issuing the jeune au pair visa again as au pairs are essential workers in their own right and make postive contributions to the society and not just as cultural exchange students."

 

That is why we decided to offer our support to Tanatswa Taruvinga, a young Au Pair who submitted a petition to the French government, demanding to allow candidates from third countries to become Au Pairs in France.

 

Again, we ask for your cooperation by signing this petition.

Some days ago we have received a message from Nimcel, an Au Pair candidate who wants to go to Norway. She says: 

"I am humbly asking for help for us aspiring au pairs bound for Norway who are patiently waiting to when Norway opens its door for au pairs. As of the moment , applicants who live outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland cannot travel to Norway due to the corona situation, UDI do not process au-pair applications from these countries now. A lot of au pairs like me, are still waiting for our visa to be process by the UDI. Some of these au pairs has been waiting for a year without any certainty if they can still be able to travel to Norway and experience Norwegian culture. Some host families are withdrawing their application with their au pairs since they can't wait any longer. And their are au pairs can no longer fulfill their dreams to experience cultural exchange because their age exceeded the age requirement while waiting for any good news from UDI."

She and other Au Pairs have started a petition to collect signatures for allowing Au Pairs to enter Norway. In Germany, we have already showed how impactful a petition can be, so sign the petition for Norway now and support your fellow Au Pairs.