Cultural Care will now require all au pairs choosing to stay for any portion of his/her 30-day grace period to have proper insurance coverage during this time in order to book a return flight through Cultural Care. Any au pair who arrived to the U.S. on January 1, 2011 or later, or whose extension term ends on January 1, 2012 or later, will be subject to this new requirement. This requirement protects au pairs from potentially incurring the full cost of expensive medical treatment in the event of an accident or illness.
Au pairs choosing to stay in the U.S. through their grace period have two options for insurance coverage:
- They may extend their current coverage by purchasing the “Additional Month Insurance” available through their online account in the Au Pair Store for $125 or $150 if they choose to include a sports supplement. This insurance must be purchased on or before their legal departure date.
- Au pairs may also provide proof of their own insurance policy that would cover them through their grace period. This coverage must match the minimum coverage requirements, determined by the Department of State. For more information regarding coverage requirements, please refer to this document, which is also available on the insurance page of the au pair online account.
If an au pair is not staying through his/her grace period:
- She/he does not need to provide proof of insurance before requesting a return flight, however she/he must request to fly home directly after the last legal working day.
- Please note that in some cases, Cultural Care may need to book the return flight on a date several days into the additional month based on flight availability. Should this occur, the au pair will not need to purchase Additional Month Insurance and Cultural Care will provide interim insurance coverage until the arranged departure date.
