Admission scheme for highly educated persons
03 Feb 2011
Under the ‘Admission scheme for highly educated persons’, foreign nationals are allowed to spend a period of up to twelve months in the Netherlands to find a job as a highly skilled migrant, or to set up an innovative company.
If you want to work for an organization as a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant), the organization has to be entitled to employ highly skilled migrants. You can find a list of these organizations on the IND website. Your gross annual salary must be at least € 26,605 (this amount may be adjusted on a yearly basis).
Who qualifies for this scheme?
The ‘Admission scheme for highly educated persons’ is aimed at foreign nationals who have obtained a Master’s or PhD degree from a recognized Dutch higher education institution. You are also eligible if you have obtained a Master’s or PhD degree from a foreign university listed in the top 150 of the 2007 World University Rankings published in Times Higher Education Supplement or by Jiao Tong Shanghai University. In addition, you will be assessed on the basis of a points system. You must obtain at least 35 points.
The points system
- PhD degree = 30 points.
- Master’s degree = 25 points.
- aged between 21 and 40 = 5 points.
An additional 5 points will be awarded if you:
- have previously stayed in the Netherlands for work or study purposes, or;
- speak Dutch or English, or;
- have obtained your diploma in a country that has signed up to the Bologna declaration.
Residence permits for the purpose laid out in this scheme are issued for a maximum period of one year and cannot be extended. At the end of the year, you must either apply for a change of purpose or leave the country. If you have previously had a residence permit for the purpose of ‘seeking work after graduation’ (verblijf gedurende zoekjaar afgestudeerde), you are not eligible to apply.
