Background information

The Norwegian government decided in 2024 to discontinue the au pair scheme with effect from March 2024. The government argued that a liquidation of the scheme would be in line with the principle that the need for unskilled labour should generally be covered from the EEA area, and not third-country nationals. An EEA citizen who comes to Norway to work in private homes has the right to reside as a worker under Chapter 13 of the EEA agreement, hence the discontinuation of the residence permit for au pairs will not have practical significance for EEA citizens. In recent years, fewer than 1,000 people annually have been granted residence as an au pair in Norway, and the number is declining. The government therefore regard the impact of the discontinuation of the au pair scheme on the labour market is likely to be minimal.

Content of measure

The au pair scheme was discontinued in Norway as of March 2024 and will be completely removed from the regulations after a transitional period, on 15 March 2027. The government’s main argument for the scheme’s liquidation is that both au pairs and host families use it primarily as a work arrangement, even though its purpose should be cultural exchange. This practice aligns poorly with the main principles of labour immigration to Norway, which generally do not allow unskilled labour from outside the EEA area.

After the discontinuation of the scheme, any third country national who wishes to come to Norway must meet the requirements for a permit under other provisions of the immigration Regulations, such as residence permits for students, self funded researchers, trainees, artists or cultural workers, etc. The government acknowledges that the discontinuation will affect families in Norway, as they will no longer be able to meet their need for help at home with an au pair from outside the EU/EEA area. This need will therefore have to be met in other ways, for instance by buying services such as cleaning or childcare. The government regards the resulting increase in demand for labour as limited.

Use of measure

First-time au pair permits from 2016 to 2022 totaled 5,339 with an average of 763 per year, according to the government's consultation paper .

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Undeclared workers Migrants or refugees in employment	Does not apply to businesses	Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

The social partners were invited to participate in a formal consultation process (a hearing) related to legal regulations.

Views and reactions

Virke Service (part of Virke, The Federation of Norwegian Enterprise), which organises a wide range of service industries such as cleaning, home services, and user-controlled personal assistance (BPA), supported the government’s aims in proposing to discontinue the au pair scheme in Norway. According to the organisation, the proposal would promote a more formal and regulated working life within home services, including cleaning. However, the association expressed concern that discontinuing the au pair scheme might lead to an increase in undeclared work in the home services sector, and therefore suggested that preventive measures be implemented.

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) also supported the government’s decision to discontinue the au pair scheme in its consultation response. Sissel M. Skoghaug, LO’s deputy leader, stated that the scheme had shifted from being a form of cultural exchange to a system for the covert import of cheap foreign labour, who do not benefit from the same protections as ordinary workers. She further argued that several cases of exploitation of au pairs had been uncovered, and described the scheme as outdated, stating that it now “looks more like a servant scheme than a cultural exchange scheme” ( LO Norge .

Sources

• 20 June 2023: Høringssvar fra LO - Forslag om å avvikle au pair-ordningen i Norge.pd (www.regjeringen.no)
• 28 June 2023: Virke Consultation – proposal to discontinue the au pair scheme in Norwa (www.regjeringen.no)
• 14 February 2024: TV 2: The au pair scheme will be removed with immediate effec (www.nrk.no)
• 15 February 2024: LO - The government discontinues the au pair schem (www.lo.no)