Can I sponsor my au pair for a visa? (uscis, charges, money)

[eagle23]

I used an agency last year to get an au pair (from Sweden), she is wonderful and we want to stay with us. The agency fees to renew her visa are so very high ($7-8000k!!).. The agency served their purpose last year by helping us find her, but now we really dont need them anymore and I dont want to pay them these ridiculous fees for nothing! I was wondering what my options were... what about just sponsoring her visa? She is now part of my family... even if its slightly more, i can make a deal with her that she has to be my full time nanny for 2 years (rather than just one) and chances are she may be around part time after that.

My children love her - she is helping me raise them. She wants to stay here long term so id like to help her as well. Any advice?

[Threestep2]

Deal or no deal - USCIS will not play. All you have to do is read the stickies on top or go to uscis.gov to read up on US immigration visas.
She will be able to extend her stay one more year. Overstay is not considered an oops anymore. Do you have an idea what ramnifications visa/immigration fraud has for all parties involved?
Should you come up with the idea to send her to school - working off campus is not allowed with a student visa. Not only cash is considered compensation. Sooner or later such an arrangement will be known to more then the riginal two parties.

[Opyelie]

Sorry if this offends, but as a legal migrant, I am just simply stunned by your overweening sense of entitlement.........

You not only want to stiff the au pair agency but the US govt/taxpayer as well

[Buburuza13]

i think you shoudl cheque something..YOUR CONTRACT WITH THE AGENCY..i bet with you,that teh agency is not stupid..you sure signed and did not know or did not realize ,that a girl recommeneded and found form them you can not just hire withouht paying them (even after the year was finished,they cover themselve)..so if you keep her and you signed something in this direction,you will pay much higher amounts then 8000 ,because you have a legal contract and they will go to court...just be careful...

i suggest you soemthing else..waht many germans used to do with east european au pairs..try to help her to become a student..

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by Buburuza13

i think you shoudl cheque something..YOUR CONTRACT WITH THE AGENCY..i bet with you,that teh agency is not stupid..you sure signed and did not know or did not realize ,that a girl recommeneded and found form them you can not just hire withouht paying them (even after the year was finished,they cover themselve)..so if you keep her and you signed something in this direction,you will pay much higher amounts then 8000 ,because you have a legal contract and they will go to court...just be careful...

i suggest you soemthing else..waht many germans used to do with east european au pairs..try to help her to become a student..

One of the stipulations of student visas is either no work for compensation at all or up to 20 hrs/week on campus only. Compensation is not considered monetary only. Not to mention she will have to show proof of liquid funds for the first year tuition/expenses and the source for the remaining education.

[kodaka]

I presume your au pair is on a J-1 visa. For that, no, the host family cannot sponsor. It must be an agency. The fees for renewing a J-1 visa are hefty, and there's a lot of paperwork and documentation that is involved. That is why the agency charges so much.

Even if the agency renews her visa for another year, or even two, that will come to an end eventually. J-1s can't be renewed forever. And then she will need to leave for two years before she can apply for a temporary worker visa--and when that time comes, USCIS is going to have a few questions about her prolonged "cultural exchange".

[Sapphiremk]

I am surpised to read that you feel you paid the agency fees for nothing. I am a coordinator for an au pair agency and we make sure our host families know what they get for their money. We also give our repeat host families a large discount for extending their term with the same au pair, it would be $2,000 savings if you extend for 12 months. For our host families who choose to host a new au pair from overseas, the savings are $1,000.
But to answer you questions about the visa. J1 visas can only be extended 1 time and it has to be done with the same agency you are using right now. You can check with immigration to see if you can sponsor her on a different visa, but that can sometimes be tricky.
Hope this helps

[STT Resident]

Originally Posted by Sapphiremk

I am surpised to read that you feel you paid the agency fees for nothing. I am a coordinator for an au pair agency and we make sure our host families know what they get for their money. We also give our repeat host families a large discount for extending their term with the same au pair, it would be $2,000 savings if you extend for 12 months. For our host families who choose to host a new au pair from overseas, the savings are $1,000.
But to answer you questions about the visa. J1 visas can only be extended 1 time and it has to be done with the same agency you are using right now. You can check with immigration to see if you can sponsor her on a different visa, but that can sometimes be tricky.
Hope this helps

I'm guessing that the OP has already realized that she can't buck the system since she never reverted after the last post dated April 14th ...

[jbuklad]

I have read all of these comments and what has not been addressed is that the au pair does all of the work and the company takes almost half of the pay check. An au pair signs on for one year and the company does find them and train them and does therefore depend on a fee but if the au pair wants to extend why does the company feel like it should make all of that money. The au pair should get the $350 a week instead of $200 a week. They should not be tied to the company anymore because they paid their dues for the first year. On the second year, the au pair should make the money. We would like to extend our au pair also and I feel she deserves the money at this point. The parents don't want to NOT pay the money, but they want to pay the money to the person who deserves the money - the au pair. The company at this point does not do anything - well I guess they get their visa's extrended but the fee is too much. The au pairs should be making more money for giving up their time and taking care of the children.

[Lizita]

This is an immigration forum. That's why the au pair's working conditions have not been discussed. It may be unfair but unfortunately that's the way it is. If the US government requires renewal through the same agency there isn't much you can do about it.