Student - February 14, 2008
Residence permit delay traps student
Chinese WSO board member, Sijing Liu, still doesn’t know if she will be allowed to stay in the Netherlands. Sijing has a bestuursbeurs, and has one euro per month too little to be entitled to a residence permit. She was told this week by the immigration office, IND, that she may have to wait another six months for a definite decision.
The news means that Sijing has had to shelve her travel plans for the moment, as she is not allowed to leave the Netherlands without a residence permit. Sijing: ‘It’s very disappointing that I have to wait another six months. Especially since my parents are planning to visit me in June.’ She may have to cancel the trip she had planned to make with her parents through Europe. She hasn’t told her parents yet about the situation. She is also unable to visit her boyfriend in England. Sijing: ‘I will ask him to come to Holland again.’
Meanwhile, Sijing has asked the University for assistance. In response she has been given the name and telephone number of a lawyer may be able to help her obtain a residence permit more quickly. Sijing: ‘I haven’t contacted the lawyer yet. The first meeting is for free; after that I have to pay.’