Au pairs come from all over the world to take part in a cultural exchange with their host families and host country. Certain nationalities are more common for au pairing in particular countries depending on the visa regulations and language requirements for au pairs. In general, most host countries do not have restrictions on the nationalities of their au pairs.
However, some countries have restrictions due to legislation. In the UK, au pairs are only eligible for a visa from 12 specific countries due to the new laws in place from Brexit. It is important to consider possible restrictions and look into official government websites to determine your eligibility to au pair in a particular host country.
Some host families have au pair nationality preferences prior to starting the au pair program based on what their hopes are for communication and childrearing practices. It is also the case that sometimes families with parents of different nationalities choose an au pair of one of the same nationalities to further bring their culture to their children.
Requesting one specific country can be quite limiting in who you can match with, so we encourage families to have an open mind when receiving possible candidates. Preference for a continent or region is much easier to match as it expands the database of possible candidates. The same can be said for language preferences regarding certain areas of the world, for example Spanish au pairs from South America are easier to match than only being open to Argentinian au pairs.
Depending on the visa regulations for the host country, some nationalities may not be approved for a visa or it may be more difficult to receive a visa. This decision is usually informed by previous experiences with patterns of breaking regulations regarding the visa or an unfriendly diplomatic relationship between the host country and home country.
Some nationalities may also be required to supply additional documentation prior to the visa approval or need to take courses for integration. This is a great time for au pairs with similar backgrounds or the same native tongue to become friends so they have a network of people as they begin their au pair abroad experience.
