10. Challenges for non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduates to stay in NL (April 2024)
In the past 9 posts, I have explained the application for
(Posts 02 + 08), the understanding of (Post 03), and the utilisation of (Posts
04 + 05) the Dutch “orientation year” residence permit.
I also showcased the calculation of “consecutive stay for 5
years in NL” (Post 09) which is related to the Dutch permanent residency, as
well as some other useful links online (Post 07).
For people who are interested in Belgium, 2 posts (Posts 01
+ 06) briefly introduced the policies and regulations there.
In this the 10th post pf my blog, I will
elaborate 4 main challenges which non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduates might face to stay
in NL and find a job in NL within the 365 days of the Dutch “orientation year”
residence permit.
Challenge 1:
The Dutch language requirement.
According to a survey published in December 2023 by Nuffic (Netherlands
Universities Foundation For International Cooperation), the Dutch language
requirement is a major challenge for non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduates to stay in NL
and to find a job.
“During their studies, and when going out in cities, they
get along speaking English. But if you really want to integrate into society,
and work for Dutch companies, suddenly they discover that speaking Dutch makes
life much easier. A lot of job offers specifically ask for Dutch language
skills.”
Full text:
https://www.nuffic.nl/sites/default/files/2023-12/staying-after-graduation.pdf
As seen in this report, the Dutch language requirement is THE NO.1 challenge mentioned by the respondents of the survey (69% of the respondents).
As studying Dutch language to C1 or higher level (let alone
native level) is NOT realistic at all for non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduates within
their 2-year MSc study and 1-year “orientation year”, I assume that most non-EU/EEA/Swiss
graduates who want to stay in NL and find a job in NL will not apply for the
job vacancies that require (more than A2 level) Dutch language skills at all.
“one of the reasons to leave was that the number of employers that can provide residence permit sponsorship was limited.”
In terms of the visa sponsorship and/or residence permit sponsorship for highly skilled migrants,
“To be able to use this scheme, the employer needs to be a recognised sponsor with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). To become a recognised sponsor, employers have to meet certain conditions and pay a fee.”
The Challenge 2 below is exactly around such sponsorships.
Challenge 2:
Visa sponsorship and/or residence permit sponsorship.
As elaborated in Post 04, the main pathway of holding the Dutch
“orientation year” residence permit is getting a job that meet the requirements
of “highly skilled migrant” residence permit. Other minor options can be seen
in Post 04 as well.
Particularly in terms of “highly skilled migrant” residence
permit, the employer(s) of that job MUST be registered in IND’s “Public
Registers” for the recognised sponsors per residence purpose, which implies
more paperwork for the employer(s) to hire non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, including
non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduates in NL with their “orientation year” residence
permit.
Even worse, even if the employer(s) are registered in IND’s
“Public Registers” for the recognised sponsors per residence purpose, if they are subjectively not willing to offer visa sponsorship and/or residence permit sponsorship for
the non-EU/EEA/Swiss job applicants, these non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens still CANNOT
work there.
https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/apply-for-recognition-as-sponsor
https://ind.nl/en/public-register-recognised-sponsors
The information in these 2 articles also implied that larger organisations have higher opportunities of offering visa sponsorship and/or residence permit sponsorship; whilse small companies and NGOs usually cannot and/or are not willing to offer such sponsorships.
Thence, non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduates in NL do have fewer job opportunities than their EU fellows, even though on the back side of the “orientation year” residence permit, “Arbeid vrij toegestaan. TWV niet vereist.” (Google Translate: “Work allowed freely. TWV not required.”) is inscripted clearly.
Challenge 3:
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens have precedence for non-academic /
non-scientific positions.
In other words, non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduates in NL might consider academic / scientific positions to increase their probability
of being hired.
For instance,
“Due to Dutch legislation, the UvA is for non-scientific positions obliged to recruit within the EU. If you are not a EU-citizen (including Norway and Switzerland) please do not apply for this vacancy.”
https://vacatures.uva.nl/UvA/job/Chemical-Analyst-Environment-and-Ecosystems/791440402/
(This webpage will be taken down offline after 19 April 2024.)
https://www.academictransfer.com/nl/339599/chemical-analyst-environment-and-ecosystems/
“For this position we cannot sponsor a visa.”
https://www.academictransfer.com/nl/339547/research-lab-technician/
“Only candidates with permission to work in the Netherlands will be considered.”
(This webpage will be taken down offline after 26 April 2024.)
Beside UvA, Radboud University has another example,
“Applying for non-scientific positions with a non-EU
nationality”:
“If you wish to apply for a vacancy with a non-EU nationality you must have a valid permit of residence that allows you to work in the Netherlands. If you are currently not in possession of a permit which allows you to work in the Netherlands and therefore an additional work permit would be required, it will be best to keep in mind that chances such a work permit will be granted are far from guaranteed.”
“Due to immigration law it will not be possible to obtain a working permit if you are not an EU-passport holder. Therefore we kindly request only to apply if you are either in the possession of a Dutch working permit or an EU-passport holder.”
However:
highly skilled migrants such as scientific and other academic researchers;
workers who are transferred to a job in the Netherlands within the same company;
students;
artists;
asylum seekers;
non-European students who are following a course of study in the Netherlands and have been accepted for an internship;
Challenge 4:
Income requirements from IND for various residence
permits for work.
IND updates their income requirements for different residence
permits periodically.
For instance,
“Required amount for a highly skilled migrant for first
application, extension or change of employer (sponsor)”:
“Type of highly skilled migrant with the right required
amount (gross per month) for 2024”.
In any case, the gross salary MUST be at least €
2,801.00 per month in 2024.
As another example,
“Application for a residence permit as a researcher, guest
lecturer or physician in training to be a specialist”:
“Required amounts valid from 1 January 2024 up to and until
30 June 2024”.
In any case, the gross salary MUST be at least €
1,448.58 per month in the first half of 2024. The criteria for the second half
of 2024 is NOT published yet, as of 10 April 2024.
Conclusion:
As non-EU/EEA/Swiss students who graduated in NL and want to
find a job in NL, there are 3 hard challenges and 1 soft challenges.
The 3 hard challenges are (1) the visa sponsorship and/or
residence permit sponsorship from the employer(s), (2) the precedence of
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens for non-academic / non-scientific positions, and (3) the
ever-changing income requirements from IND.
The 1 soft challenge is the Dutch language requirement, depending
on the specific requirements for the specific job positions.
Notes:
For a non-EU/EEA/Swiss graduate in NL with a major in social
sciences or humanities, the most realistic pathway for a job in NL, in my
opinion, will be becoming a PhD candidate / research assistant / junior
researcher / junior lecturer in a Dutch university / a Dutch research
institute.
In that case, EU/EEA/Swiss citizens do not have the
precedence in general for the academic / scientific positions ✔. And many academic / scientific positions which do
not require high level of Dutch language ✔, whilst the corresponding salaries of these academic
/ scientific positions might be easier to meet the ever-changing income
requirements from IND ✔. Last, all
Dutch universities have been registered in the IND’s “Public Registers” for the
recognised sponsors per residence purpose ✔.
Thereby, at least the 3 hard challenges can be overcome,
while the Dutch language requirement is still case-by-case.
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