Bosnian Au Pair - not sure about visas?

[Looby4]

Hi - my fab Slovenian au pair would like his Bosnian cousin to take over when he leave us in September. I've had a look at the Home Office website and it seems as if the Au Pair visa ended last November, and now there is something new called the Youth Mobility Visa which can only be obtained by US, Australian and NZ people.
Is that right? How do other au pairs get here from Romania, Macedonia and Bosnia (non EU countries).
Any knowledge on this would be great, otherwise will ring Home Office tomorrow.

Romania is part of the EU but special rules apply about working in the UK for Romanian and Bulgarian nationals.

Slovenia is not part of the EU but is part of the EEA and so nationals are entitled to work in the UK subject to registration under the Worker Registration Schem.

Bosnia and Macedonia are not part of either so citizens under the new rules can only enter under one of the recognised categories, au pair does not fall into any of these categories.

Slovenia joined the EU in 2004...

European Union (EU) countries are currently:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

European Economic Area (EEA) countries are currently the EU countries, plus:
Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

Swiss nationals are also able to visit and work in the UK.

Romanian and Bulgarian nationals can work as au pairs in the UK but need an Accession Worker Card for which age and working hours conditions apply, unless they have completed a 12 month employment and obtained a Blue Card, which entitles them to work without restriction. The application for the Accession Worker Card (form BR3) and associated process is free.

Citizens of the other accession countries which joined the EU in 2004 need to register under the Worker Registration Scheme if they earn enough to pay tax and National Insurance (more than £110 per week). If they earn less than this registration is optional but may be beneficial if the au pair or nanny intends staying in the UK after a year and taking other work. After 12 months further registration is unnecessary. Worker Registration costs the applicant £90.
Citizens of the other EEA countries and Switzerland can work in the UK without restriction.

Young people from Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand can work in the UK under a Youth Mobility Scheme Visa.

There are still au pairs around who have obtained visas for the UK under the official au pair scheme which was withdrawn 28 November 2008. As these visas were normally issued for 2 years at the time, there will be individuals entitled to visit the UK from those countries for some time to come. The countries included were Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Macedonia, Monaco, San Marino and Turkey.

Many other nationalities apply to work as au pairs or nannies in the UK, and some believe that a family 'sponsoring' them will make this possible - this is very rarely the case but makes these individuals susceptable to fraudsters who charge large fees for visas. Other EU countries have various rules, and some appear not to class an au pair as an employee.

In the UK an au pair is an employee and is entitled to the usual rights such as a written statement of employment within 8 weeks of starting detailing holidays and other terms and conditions. Employers have a legal obligation to ensure their employees can work in the UK legally. Although thinking of an au pair as an employee may sound daunting, in practice it is easy and will help ensure that the terms of the appointment are understood by both the au pair and the family.
Regards
Phil
www.universalaupairs.com/