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Highly skilled migrants scheme

  1. The goal of the orientation year is to find a job as a ‘highly skilled migrant’.
  2. You get a maximum of 12 months to find the position that allows you to stay in the Netherlands.
  3. Of course, some students manage to find this job right after they finish their study programme. If this is the case, you can skip the whole orientation year and apply directly for the residence permit as a highly skilled migrant.
  4. To be considered a highly skilled migrant, your employment needs to meet certain requirements. Your employer has to be authorized to employ highly skilled migrants. You can find a list of these organisations on the IND website.

Gross annual salary

  • Your will need to have a gross annual salary of at least €26,931 (€2,364 gross salary per month).
  • This salary requirement for highly skilled migrants that have recently obtained their diploma in the Netherlands is considerably lower than the amount for highly skilled migrants that did not graduate in the Netherlands.
  • For highly skilled migrants that did not graduate in the Netherlands, it’s €3,299 gross salary per month under the age of 30 and for highly skilled migrants older than 30 years it is €4,500 gross salary per month.
  • When you find a job that allows you to stay as a highly skilled migrant, your company has to apply for your residence permit. You can’t do this yourself.
  • The company needs to be a recognized sponsor by the IND. The already recognized employers are listed in the Public Register of Recognised Sponsors. Besides this an employer can also become a Recognized sponsor.

30% tax ruling

As a highly skilled migrant following this procedure, you cannot apply for the ‘30% tax ruling’. This rule allows employers to pay their foreign employees part of their wage tax free, leading to a higher net wage. However, the discount only applies to workers that lived at least 150 kilometres away from the Dutch border in the 24 months before starting the job. 

When you have a job and want assistance with these rules/taxes and such, there are organisations that can assist you, for example TTMTAX.