NETHERLANDS – New Single Permit Beginning April 1, 2014
From April 1, 2014 foreign nationals from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland will be able to apply for a single, combined work and residence permit (GVVA) at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND).
Details
Qualifying applicants who wish to work in the Netherlands for more than three months will be able to submit one application at the IND. The IND will request work authorization from the Labour Office on the applicant’s behalf and, if approval is granted, will issue the residence and work permits together. Previously, applicants had to make separate applications at the INS for a residence permit and at the Labour Office for a work permit (TWV). Qualifying criteria for work and residence have not changed.
Exemptions
A few of the foreign national categories do not qualify for the Single Permit, and must continue to apply at the Labour Office for a separate work permit. These include seasonal workers, students, asylum seekers and Croat nationals. Highly skilled migrants who meet the qualifying criteria can already apply for a single residence permit under the Knowledge Migrant Program, which allows them to work in the Netherlands.
Background
The Combined Work/Residence Act (GVVA) was passed in the Netherlands to implement the EU Single Permit Directive (2011/98/EU), which aims to simplify migration procedures for foreign nationals from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. Many EU countries have yet to implement the Directive, although recently Luxembourg, Hungary and Slovakia introduced changes to become compliant.