Become an au pair in Canada
Legal status, visa, age, duration, contract, salary and contributions: the verified guide to prepare your au pair stay in Canada.
Prepared by AuPair Connect — Compliance Team
Every legal, tax or safety detail in this content is verified by the AuPair Connect Compliance Team against official sources and dated.
Notice anything inaccurate or out of date? Help us keep this content up to date by writing to hello@aupairconnect.app.
Structural fact
There is no "au pair" visa in Canada
Canada recognises no "au pair" status. Access runs through an open Working Holiday work permit under IRCC's International Experience Canada (IEC) programme — and only if your nationality has a youth mobility bilateral agreement. Here is how it actually works.
- No au pair status
- No visa and no national agreement: the au pair arrangement stays private between the family and the person hosted.
- IEC / Working Holiday
- Open work permit via International Experience Canada (IRCC), Working Holiday stream.
- Bilateral agreement required
- Not every nationality qualifies, and not every partner country opens Working Holiday (e.g. Switzerland).
- Invitation pool
- Working Holiday runs by rounds of invitations: creating a profile does not guarantee a place.
- Annual quotas
- Each country has a quota; pool opening dates vary by country.
- No framed pocket money
- No official pay framework: terms (lodgings, meals, allowance) are private.
Source: IRCC — International Experience Canada programme : who can participate in IEC (countries and streams). Verified on 24/09/2026.
The official data for Canada
Legal status(es)
Age 18–35 years
Open work permit (IEC working-holiday) under a bilateral agreement
Visa
Required
Open work permit (IEC/working-holiday) + eTA / visa depending on nationality
The young au pair is generally admitted through a Working-Holiday (IEC) open work permit from the International Experience Canada programme, then works for a family on a temporary basis.
Age
18–35 years
18–35 years depending on the bilateral agreement of the country of origin (the limit varies from 30 to 35 years, working-holiday route).
Working time
Canada has no dedicated “au pair” status. Au pair work is generally carried out a few hours a day (part-time) in exchange for board and lodging, under a Working-Holiday permit (IEC); no official au-pair hour ceiling exists.
Contract / Agreement
Hosting agreement / private arrangement — Written family / au pair agreement (recommended)
IRCC / host family (private framework) · In line with the permit (entry into force + duration of stay)
There is no standard national au pair contract; the family and the au pair agree on the conditions (lodging, meals, pocket money, hours).
Steps
- 1 Check eligibility for the International Experience Canada (IEC) programme according to nationality — IRCC
- 2 Apply online to the invitation lottery/pool of the working-holiday (IEC) stream, then obtain the invitation — IRCC
- 3 Submit the open work-permit application and enter Canada before the letter of introduction expires — IRCC / Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
Salary / Pocket money
0.00–0.00 CAD/month
No official “au pair pocket money” framework in Canada. The conditions (lodging, meals, a small allowance) are private between the family and the IEC au pair.
Contributions
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Canadian tax regime applicable to income (if allowances are paid)
Au pair allowances, if paid, may be taxable; documenting the arrangement is recommended.
Tax advantages
No tax advantage specific to au pairs
Depending on the income declared in Canada
Canada does not provide a tax advantage dedicated to hosting an au pair.
Official sources
- Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada (IRCC) — IRCC — International Experience Canada / Working Holiday (PVT) · verified on 2026-08-13
- Justice Laws Website — Loi sur l'immigration et la protection des réfugiés · verified on 2026-08-13
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Can you go to Canada as an au pair?
Before any step, check whether your nationality opens a lawful route to Canada (IEC bilateral agreement). Verified facts, no false hopes.
Au pair eligibility in Canada: who qualifies (and who does not) Canada has no "au pair" visa: access depends on a per-country IEC bilateral agreement. Eligibility table and alternatives.Become an au pair in another destination
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