Science - October 27, 2005
'Relax rules for skilled migrants'
The Dutch minister for economic affairs, Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, would like to see the rules for admitting foreign knowledge workers to the Netherlands made even more flexible. He believes that the Dutch economy could suffer as a result of too much bureaucracy.
Brinkhorst also wants more people to be able to use the ‘knowledge desk’ (kennisloket). He was referring to situations such as extra employees being taken on to be able to meet a big order, or a group of people being transferred within a multinational. Brinkhorst has not yet discussed his ideas in the Cabinet.
The kennisloket as it now stands ensures that highly-skilled labour migrants can start work in the Netherlands within a couple of weeks of applying for a visa. They must have a minimum salary of 45 thousand euros and the rule does not apply to PhD researchers. Knowledge workers younger than thirty must earn a minimum of 33 thousand euros a year. / HOP, SvO