On 1 October 2019, the current regulation for Asian restaurants will come to an end. This regulation entails a yearly quota for the number of permits issued to qualified chefs in the Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai, Tibetan and Vietnamese kitchen.

The minister for Social Affairs and Employment (Wouter Koolmees) has now indicated that a new, permanent regulation will enter into force from then onwards. The new regulation will not have a quota for the number of permits issued on a yearly basis. Other parts of the regulation will however become more strict: the employer needs to notify UWV of a vacancy at least three weeks before applying for a permit, and UWV will check whether anyone in the Netherlands who is currently unemployed and receiving government assistance is able to do the job. The employer is not expected to actively search for this type of candidate himself. Permits will still be issued under similar conditions, related to hiring and training staff that doesn’t require a work permit.

Until the new regulation enters into force, the Minister has raised the quota for the current period (until 1 October 2019) by 800 permits. Read the Minister’s letter here (available only in Dutch).

For more informaton or advice, please contact Gertjan van Andel.