Visa
There a many requirements the host family and the Au Pair needs to fulfill in order to apply for a J-1 visa. The J-1 visa is an exchange visitor (J) non-immigrant visa for individuals approved to participate in work- and study-based exchange programs such as Au Pair. Below, you find a list with the most important requirements for host families and Au Pairs:
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Requirements for host families
- Be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents fluent in spoken English
- Weekly paid pocket money: 195,75 US Dollar
- Pay 500 US Dollar for an academic course
- Provide an appropriate private room and three meals a day
- The Au Pair gets one complete weekend off
- Provide a minimum of two weeks paid vacation for each 12 month
- Contract between host family and Au Pair
You can find more information here
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Requirements for Au Pairs
- Between 18 and 26 years old
- Proficient in spoken English
- A secondary school graduate or equivalent
- Healthy, not married and no kids
- Personally interviewed in English by an organizational representative
- Varification of school, three non-family related personal and child care references, a criminal background check
You can find more information here
The Au Pair should contact the US embassy placed in the home country in order to apply for the visa. But before the actual application process for a J-1 starts the Au Pair will need a DS-2019 form, which needs to be filled out by the sponsor of the exchange program (your Au Pair agency – you will find a list of sponsors here).