A permit ‘orientation year for higher educated persons’ grants foreign students 1 year to look for a suitable job in the Netherlands. The policy stated that students need to apply within 3 years after their graduation.

From 1 October 2017, there are some changes in this policy.

To be eligible for a residence permit as a highly skilled migrant, your employer will have to comply with the salary criteria. Until now, recent graduates would be eligible for the lowest salary threshold, provided an application is lodged before the end date of the 'orientation year permit'.

Everaert Advocaten proudly sponsors the International Migration and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition that will take place in Amsterdam next year.

Foreign graduates searching for a job in the Netherlands can apply for a residence permit for an orientation period. This permit is valid for 1 year. During this time, you are free on the Dutch labor market. You do not need a separate work permit.

You may apply for this permit up until 3 years after your graduation date. This means you could return to your home country upon graduation and return to the Netherlands a while later.

You may also want to read our news article here.

You found a job

If you find work during your orientation year, you must change your permit to a residence permit for employment. This can be a permit as a highly skilled migrant, or if you start your own business, a residence permit for entrepreneurs.

If you are hired under the highly skilled migrant (HSM) program (your employer must be an HSM sponsor), a reduced minimum wage applies. This lower minimum wage requirement remains applicable when you change HSM-employer or when you turn 30 years of age.

The reduced minimum wage amount for recent graduates is reviewed twice a year. You can find it on our page with salary criteria.

An overview of residence permits for employment or entrepreneurship is presented on these pages:

• Introduction: Working in the Netherlands
• Introduction: Starting a business in the Netherlands

For more information, please contact Thomas van Houwelingen.

*Top 200 educational institutions:

• The world university rankings
• Top universities
• Academic Ranking of World Universities

Are you a non-EU national planning to come to the Netherlands to study? You will need a residence permit. 

The educational institution where you plan to study must be recognized as a sponsor by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) in order to apply for your residence permit.

A public register of recognised educational institutions can be found here.

The residence permit

The residence permit is valid for the full duration of the study plus 3 months, with a maximum of 5 years.

During this time, you are allowed to work for a maximum of 10 hours a week or, alternatively, do seasonal work in June, July and August. In both cases, you need a work permit.

A work permit is not required for an internship, if it is relevant to your studies and if you have a signed internship agreement.

You can find a template of a standard internship agreement here (source: Nuffic).

Students are also allowed to work as an entrepreneur next to their studies. They do not need a seperate permit, as long as studying remains the main activity and their school results are not negatively influenced by their business.

Preparing for your studies in the Netherlands

If you still need to pass one or more subjects to qualify for enrollment, for instance a Dutch language course, you may spend a maximum of 1 year in the Netherlands to prepare for your studies.

In between your bachelor’s and your master’s degree programs, you can make use of a 12-month preparation period again.

For more information, please contact Thomas van Houwelingen.

New regulations (Directive (EU) 2016/801) which will take effect on the 23^rd of May 2018 will provide improved mobility within the EU for students and researchers and make it easier to do an internship in the Netherlands.

Just like last year, Everaert Advocaten was present at the annual Job Fair event of the Korean Students Association in the Netherlands (KSAN).

DATE: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
TIME: 4.30 pm
REGISTRATION: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Our annual free lecture for international art students who want to stay in the Netherlands after graduation, will take place as a webinar again this year. The webinar will address the following:

DATE: Monday, May 15, 2023
TIME: 4.30 pm
REGISTRATION: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Our annual free lecture for international art students who want to stay in the Netherlands after graduation, will take place as a webinar again this year. The webinar will address the following:

• How to obtain a residence permit that allows you to work as an artist or performer 
  • What is an orientation (or job-seeking) year? 
  • How long can you stay after completing your studies?

Lotte van Diepen will answer these questions and any other immigration related queries you may have.