How the Immigration Bill Affects Au Pairs

Au Pair Agency Hires Two Lobbyists to Sway Lawmakers on the Immigration Bill

We all know that immigration reform will affect the nanny industry in America because a large number of nannies working in America are illegal immigrants. But immigration reform will also affect the au pair cultural exchange program. 

Most au pair agencies and au pair host parents oppose changes to immigration laws because they fear reform will create more regulatory complexity and endanger the future of the cultural exchange program.

In fact, it worries au pair agencies so much that yesterday the Huffington Post published an article that was originally posted by Politico stating that Cultural Care Au Pair, a Massachusetts-based au pair agency, has hired two lobbyists to try to sway lawmakers on the immigration bill. Politico reports the company wants to ensure lawmakers don’t further regulate the au pair industry.

According to statistics in the Washington Post, about 350,000 people enter the country to work legally with J-1 visas each year, and about 20,000 of those are au pairs. 

Those statistics prove that nannies not only have to worry about illegal immigrants taking their nanny jobs, nannies should worry about the 20,000 au pair jobs legally working in jobs that are not being filled by American citizens.

Do you think immigration reform will help or hurt the nanny industry?