There are several immigration options available for Dutch companies wishing to bring a foreign employee to the Netherlands. A frequently used category is the highly skilled migrant program for employees that are coming to work in the Netherlands for more than 3 months. A key requirement for this program is that the employee must meet certain minimum salary requirements.
The highly skilled migrant program also offers solutions in specific situations, such as:
- Intracompany transfer of an employee to the Dutch office of a foreign company, or to a Dutch joint venture of this company. If the office in the Netherlands does not yet exist, the requirements are slightly modified to make an application in the highly skilled migrant category possible.
- Foreign graduates from Dutch universities can search for a job in the Netherlands for up to 12 months after their graduation. When they find a position within this period a lower salary requirement will apply.
Individual enterpreneurs and investors wanting to establish a company in the Netherlands can take advantage of specific application procedures. A key requirement for enterpreneurs is that they must show how their business will add value to the Dutch economy. This is established by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. The Dutch American Friendship Treaty offers a simplified procedure for American enterpreneurs that want to set up a business in the Netherlands. In this procedure, the review of the new business by the Ministery of Economic Affairs is not required.
A key advantage of the highly skilled migrant category is that the employer does not need to file for a separate work permit. The highly skilled migrant application procedure can therefore be completed much more quickly than regular applications that do require a work permit (TWV). Other categories that do require a separate application for a work permit are for example:
- Employees coming to work in the Netherlands for less than three months, or if the intended salary for the employee does not meet the minimum requirements for the highly skilled migrant category.
- Interns and trainees coming to the Netherlands for a relatively short period of time to gain experience might also need a work permit.
- Researchers as described in EU guideline 2005/71.
- Musicians and sports professionals.
- Exchange visitors.
Please contact us to discuss your situation in more detail.