Sender countries
Besides official information from the embassy’s website it’s often useful to ask people in the respective country about their experiences. This is what we did: the following information is based on the statements of around 1,500 replies from 70 countries. They indicate which target countries are a better choice and where it’s hard to receive a visa. We want to thank all candidates who have participated in the survey to show the current visa situation in their home countries. We noticed once again how great our community is and how eager our users are to help each other. However, we have to state that we can't verify the received information though since the information is always second-hand. We have also indicated on how many replies our summary is based on.
1. Algeria – more than 140 replies
Most of the candidates from Algeria told us that the embassy is very selective at the moment because “there is an excess of applications and perhaps the number of visas to be issued is limited”. Moreover, many candidates pointed out that the reason for the visa denial is often not clear like this candidate puts it: “The visa application has become very difficult [...] and the reason is unknown.” A candidate said “there have been several movements to try to change it because sometimes they give refusals without reasons or justification”. And another one stated “My visa refusal rate is very high. I have applied for a French visa three times. Everything was refused and the whole file is correct. I do not know the reason for the refusal” as well as this one: “I have applied for the visa three times, but unfortunately each time the application is rejected, I don't know why, but my file is complete and I won't miss any document, moreover I have a European diploma issued by PGSM of Paris, The Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris le Pôle ESG”. One candidate said: “I would like to point out that this problem is known to develop in the last period.” Another point they mentioned is that female candidates do have better chances apparently. Even though boys can officially take part in the program the embassy obviously prefers the application of females. The most popular target country for Algerian candidates is France which is mostly because of the language which they share. A lot of applicants told us that they and their friends got accepted in France, however others denied that and reported refusals. France and Spain are two countries which were notorious for a high demand and thus, high rejection rate. Germany is another popular country and most of the candidates said that it’s not too difficult to obtain a visa for Germany. Here are the statements for other countries: “What concerns the United Kingdom and Canada everything depends on the situation of the person but to my knowledge in Canada for example a lot of people have had their visas.” Turkey seems to be another country where applicants can quite easily travel to. Other applicants mentioned Australia, China, Spain, Italy and Russia as potential target countries where visa were approved and “the visa situation in my country is favourable for some countries of the European Union, Spain and Holland, Luxembourg, Italy, Belgium.” In general, most of the candidates had a rather optimistic attitude towards the visa situation like this statement shows: “If you're in the right place, if you paid your taxes here, you have an empty criminal record everything is fine”. Another one said: “We take the visa in less than a month, a period of twenty days.” However someone reported: “In Algeria , if they refuse a visa application the first time, they will refuse it on every application, if the same person applies for the same reason, so for Au Pairs, they should change their Host Family.”
2. Azerbaijan – less than 10 replies
Even though we don’t have a lot of statements for Azerbaijan, we can sum up that one candidate had no refusal so far and mentioned countries where visa were approved were United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Czech Republic and Turkey.
3. Bahrain – less than 10 replies
A candidate from Bahrain told us that applicants can’t apply for Canada at the moment because there is no Canadian embassy in the country. People interested in a stay in Canada need to travel to Dubai to process the visa. Unfortunately we don't have valid information for other countries.
4. Barbados – less than 10 replies
The only person that got in touch with us from Barbados mentioned that she doesn’t have problems issuing a visa and that she obtained one already in the past.
5. Benin – more than 10 replies
According to the replies that we have received the visa situation for people applying for Germany seems to be good: “I have many friends in Germany who are from my country. They told me that in the past you could get the visa with few difficulties and you should write a good convincing letter of motivation to the consulate to make it work. But now it has become much easier to get the German visa. And many boys fly from my country to Germany for Au Pair work or voluntary service.” In the same way someone answered: “As far as I know, only those whose documents and arguments are not convincing are refused a visa.” In general, most people said that they know of people who obtained a visa. Another applicant had a different perspective: “In my opinion, the visa rejection rate in my country is high, because Western countries consider Beninese youth to be too ambitious and fear a high rate of international immigration. But that is not always our primary goal.” Similarly someone goes “I haven't applied for a visa yet but I've had people apply for visas that have been refused in my country, Benin. It's very difficult to get a visa for Europe.”
6. Botswana – less than 10 replies
All replies from Botswana shed a very positive light on the visa situation in the country: “Most people that I know and have left to other EU countries have not had any visa problems.” or “I have travelled to other countries like Ireland and England without any visa issues” and finally “I know of people who live in my country who get their visas approved and visit other continents quite often. And I do not know of any who have had their visa rejected.” Nonetheless, one person also reported a refusal from the US embassy.
7. Burkina Faso – less than 10 replies
For Burkina Faso we had very ambivalent replies. There were very positive answers like this one: “Yes, I have just received my approved visa to join a Host Family [...] my departure is in a few days.” and this one “I also met a girl who got her visa for Germany and another one who just applied for a visa, they are all from Burkina Faso like me.” Other candidates told a different story: “I can assure you that several acquaintances have had their visa applications rejected on several occasions. Granting a visa is very difficult in a country like ours.” or “I know people who were rejected at the visa interview at the embassy. And most of them are the ones who wanted a U.S. visa. The most convenient reason for the rejection of visas here, especially from the USA, is usually the fact that the applicant does not have sufficient proof that he will return to Burkina Faso after his stay. It is sad, but here out of 100 people, 5 or 6 will be approved.”
8. Burundi – less than 10 replies
All in all, the visa situation in Burundi seems fine according to the feedback of our user: “Personally i had not apply for visa but i know friends who did and received it without problems” or “I have friends who did and their visas were accepted by the embassy”. An applicant pointed out an interesting point which is important for every candidate from Burundi: “The granting and refusal of visas depends on the grounds for the visa application. Personally, I have never applied for a visa but my mother has applied several times and has always had the visas. Here according to her, to get a visa you need to show documents that prove that you will return to your country. For example, you have to show the title deeds, a work contract, an order if you are a merchant, etc. This is the main reason for granting or refusing a visa in our country.”
9. Cameroon – more than 110 replies
We received a lot of messages from Cameroon and many reported refusals whereas many also said that they have received a visa. Someone even said “visa denial is like an epidemic in my country. Visa refusal without concrete explanation.” Nonetheless, we also received messages like this: “I know a person whose visa was rejected the first time but on the second attempt it was approved.“ So, a letter of appeal obviously makes sense in some cases which is a good sign. Another candidate said: “I must admit that obtaining a visa from my country Cameroon is quite difficult, nevertheless some people are still traveling and many embassies are putting in place the online visa application, so in Cameroon people are still getting visas, it is not that bad.” There are also some favourite countries for future Au Pairs in Cameroon: “The Swiss embassy is known to have an easy visa. Belgium, France, Portugal, Italy on the other hand grants you the visa if your file is good. This means when all the paperwork attached to the file is true, when the one who invites you provides you with real papers. When all this is true, you are granted the visa.” Someone added another hint: “to easily get a visa you need an invitation signed by the town hall of the host country, a petition signed by the notary of the host country and also a correspondence from the mayor of the host country to the ambassador here.” We also learned that Social Media played an important role when it comes to visa issues. During the time of our survey there were rumours on WhatsApp about a visa stop at the German embassy. The embassy used Facebook in this case and reacted quite quickly to solve the confusion. So, if you’re planning to hire an Au Pair from Cameroon, you shouldn’t only check out the embassy’s website but also the Social Media account for current information.
10. Chad – less than 10 replies
Like in many other countries on the African continent, candidates show a quite contradictory picture which reflects the diverse experiences each applicant has. Someone told us that most people in Chad have no problems in obtaining a visa yet another one said “in Africa in general it is difficult to get a visa in au pairs and I don't know why...many people are rejected either the visa or the host family that doesn't accept Africans, so it is a cultural and linguistic exchange that everyone has to live but it is not the case in Africa.”
11. China – less than 10 replies
In general, we very rarely hear a negative experience from Chinese applicants. This reflects in the reply of this applicant: “They will approve the visa application if somebody in your country sponsors us by providing some documents like contract of job, accommodation, letter of invitation or letter from sponsor (employer). If all those documents are provided from your [the host’s} country 100% the embassy will approve the visa application.”
12. Colombia – less than 10 replies
Colombia is known to be the country in Latin America where the most visa application got approved for Germany. The replies confirmed this fact by saying that the applicants received their visa in the past.
13. Congo – less than 10 replies
The number of rejected and approved visa apparently depends highly on the target country: “It depends on the country you want to visit. I know that in general the rate of refusal of visas from France is high in Congo brazzaville, but other countries give them easily.” and another one goes on “I know a lot of people who have had a visa for Europe except what I know in Congo there is no embassy of Austria for example. You have to travel to Nairobi to apply for a visa.” Some also reported visa denials: “I have this experience of visa refusal last September 2019 [...] in France. I was refused the visa even though I had my invitation and the requested documents.”
14. Costa Rica – less than 20 replies
We received answers from Costa Rican applicants stating that they had visa to Canada and the United States however some stated: “I know people who apply and are approved, but also many cases in which they are denied a visa to the United States. According to what I have seen they take into account the work and economic situation to grant it, being easier to opt for it if you have job stability and good economic capacity.” Nonetheless we also received this message: “I've met several friends with steady jobs and they're denied.”
15. Cuba – less than 20 replies
From the replies we received we can tell that at least for tourism many visa got approved including European countries like Germany and Switzerland. However we didn’t get any concrete statement when it comes to the Au Pair visa
16. Djibouti – less than 10 replies
Only one applicant from Djibouti sent us feedback to our inquiry stating that he didn’t obtain a visa so far. Unfortunately, we can’t provide you with more details for this country. Checking the embassy’s website is advisable.
17. Dominican Republic – less than 20 replies
In sum, most of the replies that we received from our user from the Dominican Republic were negative like these ones: “I have never had the opportunity to apply for a visa, since here in my country, the Dominican Republic, it is very complicated to obtain one, and yes our country is one of those countries where many visas are rejected.”or “in my case I had applied for visas for Spain and France and it is true that they really deny more visas than they approve”. Differentiation the cases someone said “In our country many visas are approved for student programs and as summer and work programs and also for paid internships, but they are approved as long as they meet all the requirements, to obtain a b1b2 visa is very different, because in this case if they deny it a lot.” Others are quite positive: “In my personal experience, last year I applied for a j1 visa, in the summer and work program and was approved for the j1 visa” and “in my country, people who claim that they will not stay illegally in a foreign country have no problem obtaining their visa”.
18. Ecuador – less than 10 replies
The majority of replies from Ecuador were positive: “I currently have my Au Pair visa. And all my friends from Ecuador who have applied for the visa, also obtained it.” and “I wanted to inform you that I have not had any problems with the embassy”. However, one person also told us “I was personally denied a visa last month, it's a little complicated for Ecuadorians to get one”. We also received a message which could be of interest for all Ecuadorians: “In the middle of this year in Ecuador, the country where I am from, a new type of passport will be issued that will allow us to obtain an international visa that will allow us to travel to Europe.”
19. Egypt – less than 20 replies
Unfortunately, the statements for the visa situation in Egypt are very diverse so that it’s not easy to generalize it. Whereas someone said “Indeed my country belongs to the countries which reject those visa and no one has ever received it.”, someone else told us “I applied for the visa in August and got the approval in September, I waited like a month or so. Also there are two girls [who] got the approval too. It took them around a month”. An applicant also stressed the importance of the interview: “The interview with the embassy is a bit hard so they have to give very convincing answers, and the motivation letter should be very strong too, and all the reasons must be clarified.”
20. El Salvador – less than 10 replies
In El Salvador the situation seems to depend on the applicant’s situation like one of our users explained: “many people do have problems getting their visa approved, but it is usually people that belong to the low economic class. To get your visa approved you have to be able to prove that you have something that ties you to your country, either a job, university, a business, school etc.” So, it’s not impossible to receive a visa especially if you write your motivational letter accordingly.
21. Ethiopia – less than 10 replies
The visa situation in Ethiopia has apparently improved in contrast to the last years. One user for example told us the following: “I want to let you know that it's been a lot of Visa applications through this year. I have many friends that went to Europe the last year and this year, too. There has been different opportunities that let them work on any country they want. So, there is no rejection that I know.” Another one added: “Here in my country, more people are getting approved visa for different countries. In my case, I had an approved visa from embassy of Italy and I've been there for visiting.”
22. Gambia – less than 10 replies
Like in many countries, we received ambivalent replies from Gambia. Someone told us for instance, that he got a rejection when he tried to apply for a visa. Another user says that he never faced any issues and that he is in Germany at the moment. We also received the information that the visa situation is fair all in all and that it highly depends on the correct application form if someone will be approved or not.
23. Ghana – less than 20 replies
Many users in Ghana mentioned that the visa situation could be better in their country and that they know of a lot of people whose visa got rejected. However, some users also told us that their friends received a visa when the application form was correct: “When a Ghanaian applicant applies for an Au Pair visa with all the necessary documents inclusive the language certificate A1 and the WASSCE (equivalent to German ABITUR) the chance for the applicants to get the visa is big.” Another commenter showed a good portion of optimism in this matter: “we had a new president so there is no more rejection of visas.” Given the fact that AuPair.com doesn’t have any partner agencies in Ghana, we assume that it might be still hard to receive a visa in Ghana even though it’s not impossible.
24. Guatemala – less than 10 replies
All in all, the replies from Guatemala were very positive mentioning that our users and their acquaintances already travelled to Europe and North America. One person indicated that he heard of friends who got rejected but the majority reported successful applications.
25. Guinea – less than 10 replies
Two people told us that their visa got rejected several times. However, one person’s friend was able to obtain a visa to Belgium.
26. Haiti – less than 10 replies
Our users in Haiti reported that their visa application got denied in the US, Canada and France. Nonetheless, one was allowed to go to the Dominican Republic.
27. Honduras – less than 10 replies
The visa situation in Honduras seems to be very similar to the one in Haiti. Here as well, people tell us from rejections from the US embassy foremost. But some people also mention that they didn’t face any problems issuing a visa.
28. Ivory Coast – less than 20 replies
In total, not many users from the Ivory Coast know of people who got their Au Pair visa approved. One person mentioned many complications when it comes to applying for a visa. There were three people saying that they received a visa, two as an Au Pair in Germany and in France and the other one as a Nanny in Lebanon. The experiences with visa in Ivory Coast are apparently very diverse and can’t be generalized.
29. Jamaica – less than 10 replies
Most of the people replying from Jamaica got their visa rejected especially from the US and Canada. For many, the rejection reason was that they didn’t have enough ties to their countries. Only one person said that she successfully received a J1 visa to the United States.
30. Jordan – less than 10 replies
The US embassy seems to be an issue for our applicants from Jordan. All of them said that the visa application to the US got denied but one person mentioned that a visa application to the UK got approved.
31. Kazakhstan – less than 10 replies
From our experience there are a lot of successful visa applications from Kazakhstan. And the replies party confirm this experience. Apparently, Kazakhian candidates head especially to the US or Europe. However, we also received a reply saying that a visa got denied because the embassy didn’t see the willingness to return after the stay.
32. Kenya – more than 80 replies
One of our candidates simply puts the visa situation in Kenya in one sentence: “most of the visa applications are usually denied.” Unfortunately we received a lot of comments like this either telling us that the interview is really hard or that the reasons for not approving the visa are hard to understand. However, there is not only negative feedback. Many other said that “it depends which country because in countries like the USA, Australia, Denmark, Germany, normally the visa goes through.” According to the replies we have received, we learned that it’s not about “usually” or “normally” since we got a lot of diverse content. Something that we heard a lot is that whenever the embassy doubts that the applicants will return home, there is 100% likelihood of rejection. All in all, we see that the visa situation in Kenya is tough but that it’s not impossible to obtain a visa as long as the paperwork and the interview work perfectly.
33. Kosovo – less than 10 replies
Fortunately, our candidates from Kosovo provided us with very detailed replies full of information such as this one: “Kosovo is a new country and it is not universally recognised with countries like Spain, Russia, China, Bosnia and a few others don't really accept our passports. So, this is one issue. Kosovo is poor. A lot of people try to get out of the country in anyway possible. This has resulted in a misuse of the different visas given by the different embassies. In this way, embassies created a process almost impossible to be achieved by most of the citizens. It is a tedious and very rigorous system that I'll try to elaborate. To get any kind of visas, touristic or otherwise you need to have a huge amount of money in your bank account. Like for a month in Schengen countries, they require over 100 euros / day. That's over 3000 euros which is almost a year of salaries of most people in here with salaries being around 250 euros. Having enough money doesn't guarantee you the visa. You need to have an employment contract which is kind of rare in here. Especially with younger population. They want to be certain you will return back. You need to get a return ticket before you even apply for visa in dates you apply for. Au Pair is kind of new concept around here, which I'm not sure many of their workers dealt a lot. Most probably even the officials aren't that much informed about them. I don't have any experiences applying for an Au Pair visas but most obvious issues would be that there isn't a guarantee they will return back here. This is the most common response in here.” Another reply displays a similar situation: “Yes, we have problems with work visa especially in Europe because the process is longer than usual. At our country, maybe because of the politics, maybe because it is a small one, the possibilities here are very limited and I'm trying but most of the agencies refuse me because of my passport and they don't have an office in my country.” Here again, we don’t want to say that it’s impossible for people from Kosovo to take part in the program however it seems to be more complicated than in other parts of the world.
34. Kyrgyzstan – less than 10 replies
Many people in Kyrgyzstan want to spend their Au Pair stay in Germany - and most of them succeed. In general, the visa situation for people in this country is good with the exception of the waiting time for an appointment. One candidate said that she had to wait for 25 weeks for an appointment. But once you get the date and have the interview, it takes around three weeks for the embassy to decide about the visa.
35. Lebanon – less than 10 replies
50% of the replies from Lebanon have been very positive saying that the visa situation especially for Canada is pretty good at the moment. On the other hand, there were also people claiming the opposite, that it’s not so easy to receive a visa in Lebanon for now.
36. Liberia – less than 10 replies
One of our applicants in Liberia told us that the Au Pair program is not really common over there. This might be one of the reasons why Au Pair visa from Liberia are not approved very often until now. According to the replies, the visa approval rate seems not to be very high at the moment anyway.
37. Libya – less than 10 replies
Unfortunately, we only received few replies from Libya. However one applicant told us the following: “I do not think that there are currently active embassies in Libya in this current situation, but I have knowledge of some friends who have obtained visas in the state of Tunisia or Turkey or when they come to the country where they want to work, they get them at the airport.” Since AuPair.com doesn't have any partner agencies in Libya, we assume that the Au Pair program is hardly working in this country.
38. Madagascar - less than 50 replies
The reaction from our Malagasy candidates are mixed. Someone mentioned for example: “I know that the French embassy in Madagascar has rejected many visa applications and does not explain why but I [...] know a lot of girls who have had visas to be an Au Pair in Germany, Austria, Belgium or Luxembourg.” Another person said “indeed visa refusal for Au pPairs is common at Madagascar. Especially to go to France.” The waiting time for the visa seems to be long as well: “it has indeed become difficult to obtain a visa here in Madagascar, the rejected visas are more numerous than those that are accepted, and the answers last at least 10 weeks, we don't know the reason, but they are really very strict even at the slightest step.” Nonetheless, there are also some very positive replies: “It's true that it's a bit complicated to apply for a visa here but if the embassy sees that everything is in order on the paper it will issue a visa. As examples, Belgium, Germany and Canada are now the countries that give visa without any problem. If the contract is clear there is no problem for the visa."
39. Malawi – less than 10 replies
In Malawi, people referred a lot to the answers during the interview at the embassy and the right papers. If they are alright they said that applying for a visa is not very complicated. We heard from approval to Europe and the US and rejections to Australia.
40. Mauritania – less than 10 replies
The very few replies we received from Mauritania were quite positive about the visa situation. The majority said that when all papers are correct there shouldn’t be a huge issue to receive a visa.
41. Mauritius – less than 10 replies
In Mauritius we had very similar reactions like in Mauritania. As long as the papers are fine and the answers during the interview are excellent, a visa is possible to be approved.
42. Morocco – less than 10 replies
Most of the people answering from Morocco told us that they successfully work in the UAE, Qatar or Saudi Arabia. There seems to be no problem working in this region of the world. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive information about approving visas to Europe or North America.
43. Nepal – less than 20 replies
The replies from our Nepali candidates showed an interesting fact - usually applicants need to have a A1 level in German to become an Au Pair in Germany. In Nepal however, most users told us that they need an A2 level which is a really important fact for the application. Additionally, the performance in the interview at the embassy is of high importance. When the language skills and the reply pattern is sufficient most people seem to obtain the visa. We even received replies from people who are already au pairing in Germany. However, this is not always the case. Whenever the embassy has doubts about certain information the application will be denied according to our candidates: “As I know, the German Embassy here in Nepal rejects many applications, because the applicants have long study gaps and have no plans for the future. You also cannot answer correctly why you want to become an aupair. But for Austria there is no embassy here in Nepal, for the visa you have to go/fly to India to apply for the visa in the Austrian embassy in India. The Austrian Embassy never refuses the visa, as my friends told me.” Other countries where Nepali applicants focus on are Austria, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands.
44. Nicaragua – less than 10 replies
Candidates from Nicaragua focus more on the US when it comes to au pairing. However, most of the candidates we asked didn’t obtain a visa in the past. The rejection rate seems to be quite high.
45. Nigeria – less than 50 replies
We received a lot of replies from Nigerian candidates who told us that their attempt to obtain a visa was fruitless: “Recently, 90% of our people hear are been denied Visa, especially to the U.S.” They reported being rejected from France, Germany, the US, even when they met the requirements: “I was denied because the German consulate thinks I don’t have enough ties with my country. Even though I provided them with all the requirements from the checklist.” Moreover, the long waiting time is quite annoying both for the candidates and for the Host Family: “I found a family, on June 28, 2019, I booked for an interview, the embassy on the website wrote, I have to wait for some months, before i will receive an interview date to apply for a Au Pair visa. It took the embassy 6 months before they finally gave me a date, 7th January 2020, to apply for a visa,within one month of notification. Unfortunately, my host family said, they can't give me a contract nor invite me, because they have so many problems around [...] I feel discouraged to book once more, because no family can wait for more than 6 months for the Au Pair to receive an interview date. Or if I first receive a date, it’s hard to find a family within one month ahead of interview date” However, there are also other opinions on that: “What the embassy wants is to know how genuine you are, and not to lie to them and show a proof you coming back to your country and want to know your purpose of applying for their visa and once you are able to provide this, you will surely be issued a visa.”
46. Pakistan – less than 10 replies
We received only a few replies from Pakistan and no reply was solely focused on the Au Pair visa. However, one user reported that he was able to obtain a tourist visa for the US.
47. Palestine – less than 10 replies
We heard from our applicants from Palestine that they need a visa to enter any other country at the moment which can lead to a longer waiting period. To obtain an Au Pair visa to Europe or the US is not very likely for now.
48. Panama – less than 10 replies
Mixed replies could be found from Panama. Some people mentioned that they received their visa whereas other complained that they got a denial without a good reason why.
49. Papua New Guinea – less than 10 replies
The few replies from Papua New Guinea displayed the fact that the visa application seems to be very difficult. They mentioned that the process is long and requires a lot of paperwork.
50. Paraguay – less than 10 replies
We received replies from people who have already obtained a visa to Germany, the US or want to work in Argentina since it’s visa free. However, we also heard from a rejection from the US embassy.
51. Peru – less than 10 replies
The ratio of visa refusal and approvals is apparently quite balances in Peru. Namely, one candidate told us that she is already au pairing in Germany at the moment, another one told us that a visa to the US got denied. Other reported that it depends on the case but that there is no bias due to a certain embassy.
52. Philippines – more than 180 replies
We received a lot of replies from our Filipino candidates which gave us the possibility to dive into the process in detail. In general, a lot of the candidates who answered to our message have been or are currently an Au Pair, especially in Western and Northern European countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Netherland, Germany, Austria and Luxembourg. Most of them were perfectly informed about the procedere, the requirements and how to prepare for the interview. Unfortunately, there were still some applicant who got rejected. The most mentioned reason was that there were not sufficient ties to the country. For the ones who got approved, the waiting period for the visa highly varied like one person put it: “It is just that [for Finland] the processing time has been longer than usual as it may take 8-11 months now while the estimation given to you after your interview at the Embassy is just 2-6 months. As long as you submit all the required documents then there will be no problem at all. Also, I have one friend who just got her Au Pair visa bound to Netherlands just within 10 days.” What we could see was that as long as the interview was prepared well, candidates from the Philippines seem to have a good acceptance rate.
53. Qatar – less than 10 replies
According to our candidates, there are only visa rejections in Qatar if something with the contract is not correct or if the applicant doesn’t have a clear criminal record.
54. Rwanda – less than 10 replies
In sum, visas from Rwanda seem to be a bit complicated (especially to Canada) but not impossible. One our our candidates has already experienced a cultural exchange to Germany.
55. Senegal – less than 20 replies
Despite the fact that “the rate of visa rejection is higher than those approved”, an Au Pair from Senegal working in Germany wrote us a message saying that it was hard to get an appointment but she finally made it. We also received a success story from an Au Pair in France. However, the majority of cases got rejected according to our candidates: “the high rate of rejected visa applications is due to procedural flaws and generally to the lack of a good financial basis to support the cost of the stay (not having a well-filled bank account).”
56. Somalia – less than 10 replies
Eventhough we couldn’t collect stories from candidates for certain countries, we heard that they go to neighbouring countries where the embassy of the target country is located. So, if you want to hire an Au Pair from Somalia consider the fact that s/he will need to travel to another country for the application.
57. Sudan – less than 10 replies
According to our candidates in Sudan, there have been successful applications to France. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive information about other countries.
58. Syria – less than 10 replies
Due to the war in Syria, traveling is not so easy and of course this affects the visa situation as well. Given the fact that most embassies don’t even work at the moment in the country, it’s complicated to take part in the Au Pair program for Syrian citizens. Moreover, one candidate mentioned that “there are institutes for teaching the language, but their diplomas are not recognized in Germany.”
59. Tajikistan – less than 10 replies
A candidate from Tajikistan told us that most visa rejections are due to the lack of information on how to write a good motivational letter. The applicant should not mention that s/he wants to stay in the country. The German embassy seems to stress the importance of the letter. Apparently there are agencies in the country which prepare the candidates and go through the papers, the cost is around 60 €. Most of the candidates wanted to go to Germany. One person said that “from the time I propose to my appointment, it takes two or two half months.”
60. Thailand – less than 10 replies
Unfortunately, all replies we received from Thailand dealt with visa refusals however we couldn’t find out for which countries that applies specifically.
61. Togo – less than 50 replies
Like in many other countries, the answer pattern was really complex in Togo. Most of the replies were positive stating that our candidates and their friends got approved for a visa, especially to Germany. A lot o people said that it only depends on the paper and the interview and if those factors are good the likelihood of getting a visa is near 100%. Nonetheless, we also received statements which suggests the opposite, for example this one: “I myself once applied for an Au Pair visa [...]. When the lady who receives the application received my application in her hands, she passed me this question: are you Miss [name]? I answered yes; then she threw the files in my face without examining the contents of the file. A month later, I tried again to introduce the visa application, the same thing had happened; she threw my files again, but this time on the floor.” The candidate couldn’t explain this behaviour which of course sheds a very negative light on the visa procedure for people on Togo.
62. Tunisia – less than 50 replies
Most of the candidates contacting us wanted to go to France. In this case, we collected different statements, some of them stating that the visa is very easy, others saying that it’s very complicated. The overall opinion is that in Tunisia it’s not more or less tough to get a visa than in any other country but some had a different opinion saying that “the number of visas refused [...] has become remarkable and it is not clear why. [...] I know friends whose files were well done but their visas were not approved.”
63. Turkmenistan – less than 10 replies
According to our candidates, the situation in Turkmenistan is rather balanced. There are approvals and rejections and the process seems to be fair overall.
64. Uganda – less than 50 replies
The first comments that we received from Uganda were not very hopeful: “in Africa most embassies give very few visas; it's more of a 1 in 10 ten people given. Hope 2020 will be a little different from the past years.” or “it's true, our country faces a lot of problems getting visas, mostly especially in European countries, many of my friends have experienced that problem.” Someone pointed out that it’s especially hard to receive a visa for the US, the UK and Canada. Apparently, the travel history is also of importance: “in Uganda some embassies are quick to give visas but you have to prove to them with lots of documents that you will come back to your country.” Moreover, we also received some positive stories of people saying that they have just begun their cultural exchange, for example in France or Denmark.
65. United Arab Emirates – less than 10 replies
One of the people who replied from the UAE is already an Au Pair in the Netherlands. She goes on “based on my personal knowledge visa processing for UAE is very smooth you only have to submit the needed requirements and then wait for a week or two for the approval.” There were no contradictory statements.
66. Uzbekistan – less than 10 replies
We’re happy to report a successful story from Uzbekistan: “two days ago I got my visa. I was given a lot of questions by them, it took even about 15 minutes the interview with me. I had no hope that they'll give me, but they gave. Because I had every document and most important I showed them the reason why I wanna be an Au Pair in Germany in my motivation letter. I searched for information about what can be reasons for rejection, mostly language.” More people reported that they were lucky to obtain a visa. But unfortunately we also received other stories which show that it’s not always easy. One candidate for example received a rejection followed by the statement that the Host Family did not cooperate even though she was in touch with them and no one could really explain the situation. Moreover, it seems to be hard to receive a visa to the US from Uzbekistan.
67. Venezuela – less than 50 replies
The good news first: applicants from Venezuela who want to go to the US can generally be approved for a visa. However, someone said “in my country there is no American embassy, all the paperwork must be done in Colombia which is where the nearest embassy is located.” Someone else mentioned the Dominican Republic as a location were candidates can process their visa. Also, we heard that a lot of visa applications got denied and most candidates think that this if because of the political situation in the country right now. Most embassies are closed so that it’s quite complicated for a Venezuleanian candidate to even apply for a visa. Due to the tough economic situation that was mentioned by many candidates, some people can’t afford to apply for a visa at the moment because it involves traveling to another country. A lot of people in Venezuela possess a dual citizenship, for example Italian. In this case they can take advantage and travel to Europe with the European passport.
68. Vietnam – less than 10 replies
We received positives replies from people applying to Germany but also negative ones concerning the US and the French embassy.
69. Yemen – less than 10 replies
As you may have heard there is a war going on in Yemen, which means that “there are no open embassies and consulates in Yemen” according to one of our candidates. Another applicants mentioned that “it is possible to process the visa application from Saudi Arabia at any embassy or consulate”.
70. Zambia – less than 20 replies
All in all, we received positive replies for candidates who wanted to go to Germany, like this one here: “In my country people obtain their visa in 2 weeks time but sometimes it only takes 4 days to a week”. The majority of replies were rather positive however we also received statements which showed that not everyone received a visa. Moreover, most of them didn’t understand the reason why the visa got denied.
71. Zimbabwe – less than 50 replies
Fortunately, a lot of people from Zimbabwe who replied to our message have already been or currently are Au Pairs, especially in Germany. However, there are two main points which hinder people to go abroad: firstly, the visa appointment: "in our country Zimbabwe there are no available slots. If you try booking a visa [appointment] you be told they are no available dates. I personally started checking last year I check every day but I'm always told the same thing. I've never even once bumped into a slot yet we are told dates are already in May. The situation is confusing and frustrating. If only they could make it easier to get appointments many lives will be changed.” Same goes for this candidate: “I haven't applied for visa yet. The reason being i couldn't manage to book an appointment at the embassy”. Due to a high demand there are not enough appointment for everyone. Moreover, the German embassy seems to be very strict when it comes to the language skills: “I know a ton of people whose visas have been rejected and some think it's because of the motivational letter or the last certificate obtained or the interview process which is now strictly in German”. Candidates should know that their language skills play an important role during the process. Once they have an appointment and display their good level of German and all required data, there is a good chance of approval.
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