In this blog, we will answer all your queries regarding the Dutch residence permits. Yes! There is more than one type of Dutch work permits. Okay so, subscribe to our channel if you haven't already and let's jump in!
The target audience for this post is all the international students in the Netherlands who are enrolled in a Dutch study programme and want to work here. Also, all those who are not from any European countries and would want to work here will also find this useful.
There are five types of work permits which the employer will apply for you based on different conditions. But please know that work permit and residence permit are two different things. In most of the cases, if you have work permit then that doesn't mean that you also have a residence permit. These are two separate pieces of documents. But don't worry, getting a residence permit once you have your work permit is a piece of cake. Also, if as an international student, you want to apply for a student residence permit, then check out this post.
TWV work permit
This is for people like us, i.e. students! If you are a student in the Netherlands and want to work along with your studies then you need this permit. Say you want to work part-time either as a side job of a librarian, teaching assistant, as an employee in a supermarket or anything else then you should inform your employer that you will need the TWV work permit. As we mentioned in our previous post named "4 categories of student job", you do not need a work permit if you are doing an internship.
A huge disclaimer guys: While applying for a job like this, make sure that you explicitly state your need for a work permit. The cafes, markets, and store owners here might not be aware of such a requirement and will hire you without those formalities. We are in no way saying that anyone would do this to you intentionally, we are saying that there are chances that the employer is completely unaware of any such need to file for a work permit. Thus, it is your responsibility to do the due diligence and keep yourself away from any troubles.
HSM or Highly Skilled Migrant permit
This is the highly desired and highly preferred work permit. Say you graduated with flying colours and are now looking for a job in the Netherlands. And congratulations you bag yourself an amazing job offer! What happens next? The answer is your employer files for the HSM work permit. You are recognized as a highly-skilled immigrant if you fulfil some conditions like:
You have a Bachelors level education
You possess some relatively scarce skills
So your specialization is in the field of IT, Engineering, Science, etc.
The employment contract should also fulfil some conditions for you to be eligible for an HSM work permit:
The employer or the hiring company has to be recognised by the IND as a sponsor.
If your age is less than 30 years then your gross monthly income is minimum of €3,381
If you are older than 30 years then your gross monthly income is minimum of €4,612
The employment contract should be of at least a year.
The HSM work permit is valid only for the complete duration of your employment and for maximum 5 years after this you can renew it.
European Blue Card
This is another kind of permit which is valid not just across the Netherlands but the entire European Union. But there are some key differences between the EU Blue card and the HSM work permit. Here is a list of all the differences:
EU blue card is only valid for the complete duration of your employment and a maximum of 4 years.
Your education level must be on par with any Dutch Bachelor's or Master's programme. This will be verified by the Dutch office for Evaluation of Foreign Credentials (IDW).
Regardless of your age, your monthly gross salary should be €5,403. This makes the European Blue card harder to procure especially if you are in your twenties.
ICT work permit
ICT is an abbreviation for inter-company transfer. If you are working outside the Netherlands and your company is relocating you to the Netherlands then your employer will have to apply for this permit. In these cases, it is not possible to obtain another permit, such as the highly skilled migrant permit or the EU Blue Card. The ICT permit requires that the transferring employee must have a manager, specialist or trainee position. This is not the case with HSM or blue card.
If you are coming in as a manager or specialist then you must have a bachelor's degree and five years of relevant work experience. If you are coming in as a trainee then you must have a master's degree.
GVVA or Single Permit
The GVVA or single permit combines both the work permit and the residence permit. You are eligible for GVVA if you will be working there for more than three months and you are a:
Regular labour migrants
Interns
Practitioners
Certain foreign nationals working in the Asian restaurant industry
Teachers in international education
Ministers of religion and spiritual leaders
A single permit is valid for minimum one year and can be extended to 3 years. The UVW or the Netherlands Employees Insurance Agency will check your profile to ensure that it complies with the Foreign National Employment Act and will advise the IND so that they can assess your residence permit properly.
And that was the post guys. We tried to cover-up as many points as possible and in as many details as possible. Let us know if we missed something, any questions that you might have or future blog requests. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.