France introduces “Jeune Au Pair” Visa
During WETM-IAC 2019 in Luxembourg we had the honour to welcome M. Stephane Coconnier from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a short lecture and panel discussion.
During the session “Mission possible – government and industry finding solutions together” the audience learned exclusively about the new legislation on au pair visas for France, the details of which had just been released a few days before the conference. This new law will regulate entry conditions and duration of stay for au pairs in France in the future.
During the panel discussion following M Coconnier´s presentation, Board Member, Linda James (Au Pair in America) interviewed M. Coconnier, and the two representatives of the French National Association UFAAP, Sophie Hertzog and IAPA Chair Delphine Vaills (Europair Services) further about the consequences of this new law for au pairs, host families and agencies.
The three interviewees also shared their experiences regarding the successful cooperation between Ministry and UFAAP. Their hope is for other associations to use their positive example as a blueprint when advocating for an au pair Visa in their country.
The discussion emphasised that while the first, important step has been taken, this legislation is still in the beginning stages and requires further fine-tuning and adjustments to make it practicable and most of all safe.
The audience took the opportunity to ask many questions, expressing their interest. Overall everyone was very positive about the new regulations and the fact that France has implemented the European Directive so rigorously.
However, the initial weeks following the introduction of the law do still show some confusion about it’s practical application, especially where the French consulates are concerned, as they are still in the process of changing from the old procedures to the new.
Here is a statement paper from UFAAP that explains and sums up all the changes and offers some guidance as well as the agreement (Convention) between au pair and host family:
Key take aways:
Definition of an au pair according to the French immigration law from the 10thSeptember 2018 :
“Someone aged between 18 and 30, welcomed temporarily in a family whose nationality is different, for the purpose of improving her/his language skills and knowledge of France, in exchange for simple household chores and childcare”
Principles and requirements
- Creation of a residence permit “jeune au pair”
- Stay of 1 year – renewable once
- Recast of the hosting agreement
- Applicant au pair must prove that they speak basic French, have a secondary level of education, or professional qualifications
- Different nationality and no family relationship between the au pair and the host family
Protection of au pairs:
- Limitation of childcare/household chores to 25 hours/week
- Minimum amount of pocket money : 320,- €
Simplified procedures
Before arrival in France :
- Au pairs sign a hosting agreement with a family in France
- Application for a visa at the consulate :
Supporting documents :
- documents related to civil status and nationality
- hosting agreement filled and signed by both parties
- proof of the affiliation to health insurance
- proof that the au pair has a secondary level of education, or professional qualifications
- documents related to the nationality of both parents of the host family
After arrival in France :
Validation of the visa online within three months. No need to go to the prefecture for their first year.
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