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| Au Pairs
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| now allowed to stay for 12 months
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Meaning more consistency and flexibility for parents
Just in time for the migration of GAP year Europeans to Australia, families may now take on an au pair on a Working Holiday Visa for up to 12 months at a time.
Previously au pairs were only granted up to six months with a host family before they had to move on, making them only a short-term solution to many families who couldn't find suitable child care.
However after lobbying to the Department by the industry and recommendations from the recent Productivity Commission Inquiry into child care and early education, new legislation passed by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection means that, effective immediately, au pairs (un-salaried childminders and mothers helpers who are often from outside of Australia) on Working Holiday Visas in Australia may now stay with their host family for the full duration of their visa.
Au Pairs have always been a popular solution for child care and general help, if you can share one or have enough bedrooms to accommodate one (they almost always live with their host families), but while Australian citizens, temporary or permanent residents can stay with families for a decent period of time, foreign au pairs had to move on from their hosts almost as soon as they’d settled in, making them an unsuitable option for families who wanted more consistency and permanency.
The new ruling means that families can hold onto their au pairs for up to a year, giving them the consistency and reliability they need for a longer period of time. And giving Au Pairs more time with their hosts and a better time in Australia.
The new ruling is simply a change in the Working Holiday Visa which while still only valid for 12 months, now removes the previous six month restriction, therefore enabling au pairs to continue to stay with the same host family for the full year.
Au pairs already with families who thought they could only stay for six months may now apply through the Department extend their stay with their current host family for up to 12 months.
Owner and founder of Smart Au Pairs, Nicole Kofkin and the President of the Cultural Au Pair Association of Australia (CAPAA), Wendi Aylward welcomed the ruling.
"International au pairs provide an affordable childcare solution", said Ms Kofkin. "The growing demand for au pairs shows that their benefits are increasingly being recognised by parents. This ruling [that will enable au pairs to stay with a family for up to 12 months] is being welcomed by host families," she said.
"The ruling makes having an au pair an even more appealing option for childcare …Longer placements will address seasonable shortage of au pairs, and cause less disruption for families as the bond formed between children and their au pair can continue for a longer period," she said.
A further benefit of the new legislation will mean that au pairs may now qualify as child care options in the new Nanny Pilot Scheme that begins in January 2016 and will run for 24 months.
Click here for the Nanny Pilot Scheme.
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