Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of temporarily extending the Tier 5 visa two year limit for au pairs currently in the UK who have had their work and travel opportunities curtailed by the response to the covid-19 restrictions; and if she will make a statement.

The Home Office has put in place temporary arrangements to ensure visas due to expire are extended to enable people to remain legally in the UK until the point when restrictions are eased and a return to their home countries is possible. These safeguards ensure no person will lose their legal status in the UK and it is therefore not necessary to extend the two-year limit on any of the T5 routes.

As has been the case since 2008, the UK’s points-based immigration system does not include a dedicated visa route for au pairs, so there is no set time limit for one. The visa being referred to by the Hon Member may be the Youth Mobility Scheme which grants those aged 18-30 from participating countries up to 2 years in the UK during which they can study or work, with their employment not restricted to being an Au Pair or any other role.