Sigríður calls au pair permit plan a bizarre move

Sigríður Á. Andersen, parliamentary group leader of the Centre Party, has called a plan to end au pair residence permits for people from outside the European Economic Area a “bizarre move,” according to mbl.is. She said any abuse of young people in the programme should be addressed without banning everyone from entering on that basis.

A draft bill proposed by Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir would remove the residence permit for au pair placements for citizens of countries outside the EEA. The draft is available through Alþingi’s consultation portal.

Sigríður said the Centre Party had long raised concerns about the strain that unrestricted migration places on the country’s infrastructure, but did not see temporary au pair permits as a central issue. She said the young people who come to Iceland on these permits, mostly women, appeared to be subject to adequate oversight.

She described the purpose of au pair placements as helping young people experience life in another country, build cultural ties and broaden their horizons. People also come to Iceland from countries including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, she said, adding that the proposal targeted an easy group to single out if the aim was to address problems linked to immigration.