There is only one way to go to the USA as an Au Pair. The participant needs the J-1 visa! They will only get this visa if they are placed through a US Department of State designated Au Pair Program and therewith follow the J-1 visa rules.
Since we, AuPair.com, have a partner agency in the USA, Agent Au Pair, it is possible for candidates to register with us and apply to the program.
Together with our American colleagues we will assist them with finding a Host Family.
To apply for a legal J-1 Cultural Exchange Visitor Visa, the candidate needs the following documents:
A passport that has to be valid 6 months after your stay
The DS 160 form
A biometric photo
The appointment confirmation
The DS 2019 form (will be in the info package)
Confirmation that the candidate paid the SEVIS fee (will be in the info package)
Confirmation that the candidate paid the visa fee ($160/120€)
Proof that the participant plans to return to his/her home country and can afford the flight back
The Au Pair needs an appointment at the closest US embassy to her/his hometown. Usually the applicant will get one within a couple of days. At the day of the appointment it is really important to think of all the documents needed, otherwise the applicant has to get a new one.
At the embassy the applicant will present all the documents, have a small interview in English and fingerprints will be taken. The embassy will keep the participant’s passport for the visa. Within a week the passport including the visa will be sent to the Au Pair by mail.
Families and Au Pairs are part of the program for a year. Participants have the opportunity to extend their stay to 2 years.
Please, do not, under any circumstances, try to take part in the Au Pair program without an agency. It is illegal for families to invite someone to become their Au Pair and for an Au Pair to participate without an agency. It is not possible to participate with a Tourist Visa or ESTA form! Please follow the rules!
Everyone has heard about the security systems of the USA, so it is possible that some security agency might have read the messages that the Au Pair has been writing to the Host Family. The border control will ask the candidate for her/his reason to come to the United States. The Au Pair might say that she/he is only on vacation and that she/he wants to visit friends or family, but the authorities will know better. They will know about the deals the Au Pair made with the family, how much money she/he is going to get, how many hours she/he will have to work.
Nobody gets money for vacation and nobody works during vacation.
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