OP - I'd recommend you contact a couple of the agencies with your questions, as knowledgeable as many HPs on this site are - none of us is a professional AP expert and there are destructive trolls that linger her and spread false info.

But can you still get an AP now without the exemption?

Typically to get an ap from out of country it will take you 3 -5 months to find one, match and get them in your house.
If you take one already in country it can be fast, like 2-3 weeks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 weeks or so. They cannot look after babies under six months. They can care for older children in a house with an infant.

They can look after babies 3 months and older.

Depends on the agency, youngest is 3 months.

If you are pregnant or have a child under 2, the AP must be IQ, infant qualified. They cannot live in a home with a child under 2 if they’re not IQ. They can help with the baby while you’re home from birth to 3months, but they cannot be left alone with the newborn.

Anonymous wrote:6 weeks or so. They cannot look after babies under six months. They can care for older children in a house with an infant.

They can look after babies 3 months and older.

6 weeks or so. They cannot look after babies under six months. They can care for older children in a house with an infant.

From when you start the paperwork, till when they arrive?

Also, I know you can't have an au pair care for a baby under a certain age. What age is that? Can you have an au pair with a young baby and just have them care for older siblings?