Fraud uncovered in the employment of foreign students
12 Nov 2010
Targeted investigations of businesses that employ foreign students have revealed that nearly half of those businesses acted in contravention of the regulations. They had either failed to apply for work permits for the students or the students worked longer hours than allowed under their permits. The students concerned came mainly from the Republic of Surinam and from China.
The investigations were conducted by the Labour Inspectorate, which has imposed fines totalling over one million euros. The Inspectorate visited 187 businesses last year, which were selected on the basis of details provided by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) and the Netherlands public employment service (UWV Werkbedrijf). The inspections were conducted at businesses suspected of fraud.
Suspicions
Having suspected a failure among foreign students to adhere to the regulations, the IND decided to coordinate efforts with the other two agencies. And that partnership is clearly bearing fruit, as attested by the inspectors’ apprehension of 178 illegally employed foreign students. The Labour Inspectorate has reported its findings to UWV Werkbedrijf and the IND, which will move to revoke the employers’ employment permits and/or the students’ residence permits.
Work permit
Business wishing to employ students from countries outside the European Economic Area (the European Union together with Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland) and from the EU member states of Bulgaria and Romania need a work permit in order to do so. These students are allowed to work a maximum of ten hours a week as standard, or forty hours a week during the months of June, July and August. Most of the students are employed in shops and the catering industry.
Continued inspections
The inspections and collaboration with the IND and UWV Werkbedrijf will continue through the rest of the year. In consultation with the IND and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Labour Inspectorate will provide education institutions that enrol a relatively large number of foreign students with additional information about the regulations governing the employment of foreign students.
The employment of foreign students is subject to stringent inspection to prevent non-EU nationals from using study as a pretext to enter the Netherlands and take up employment here. When businesses employ students for more than the statutory maximum number of working hours, they are serving to deprive persons who are permitted to work in the Netherlands of employment.
Source: Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment
More information
If you’re an international student in Holland and would like to work alongside your studies, please make sure you follow the right procedures. You can find more information on the page Working while studying.