Opening Expat Center
The Dutch are among the happiest people in Europe. And I am not referring to the euphoria on account of the performance by the Dutch team in the European Championship.
No, I am talking about more structural factors. Generally speaking, we are a satisfied folk. Research by the Social and Cultural Planning Office has shown that our satisfaction stems from our social climate, our culture and more particularly, our prosperity, which largely comes from our knowledge economy.
If we want to retain this high quality and keep up our competitive position, not only is maintenance needed, but innovation and renewal as well.
Keeping the Netherlands an attractive place to live demands investments in training, education, and research.
Expansion of the knowledge society in the Netherlands can be given considerable new momentum by our migration policies. The Netherlands needs highly qualified migrants who can contribute to the development of our economy, science and culture. This requires specific knowledge and experience on material aspects, something that can only be provided by highly skilled migrants. What is more, they bring new vitality to Dutch society.
Discussing experiences, exchanging ideas, approaching problems from a different background, a different mindset – these are stimulating factors for innovation and development.
Even though more and more highly skilled migrants are coming to the Netherlands, we still thinkwe can do better. We need to make it more attractive for them to settle here, and we want our modern migration policy to assist in this process. We want to make it both pleasant and easier for them.
This means that our admission procedures must be quick, effective and manageable. Although proposals on this front still need to be discussed in the Dutch Lower House, I can set out a few main lines.
First, only one application will need to be filed, and it will be assessed against the admission criteria only once, instead of having separate application procedures for an authorisation for temporary stay and later for a residence permit.
Second, We will combine the procedures for residence permits and work permits into a one-stop shop to be used by the Centre for Work and Income and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). This means that the required details and documents only need to be supplied once, and again only one application needs to be filed. The one-stop shop is to be available to all employers by the first of October, already.
And third, we will also start working with a system of sponsors. I won’t overload you with all the details, but what it boils down to is that, when companies or organisations want to bring migrants to the Netherlands, after a case has been assessed by the IND, the applicant organisation will be given a privileged position, huge benefit, but also big responsibility in the admission procedure.
We think that this new policy will be a benefit to our society – inviting and welcoming where possible, restrictive when necessary. A quick and simple admission procedure, balanced by a solid and effectively enforced migration policy.
But there is more. This new policy represents how we have put into practice a priority in the coalition agreement: a significant reduction of officialism and red tape for both citizens and businesses. This will allow us to respond more adequately to the needs of today’s society.
Which is why I am so pleased with this Amsterdam Expat Center.
Amsterdam wants to re-establish itself as one of the top five European cities for business and wants to become more attractive as an international business site.
One way we want to accomplish this is by improving services to foreign employees: by offering a full package of basic assistance upon their arrival in the Netherlands and directly afterwards.
This is clearly in line with the ambitions of our modern migration policy, which aims to provide greater convenience for clients with simpler and faster procedures, and to reduce paperwork and the number of official actions to be carried out. And to achieve intensive cooperation and exchange of information with other chain partners.
For this very reason the IND was happy to comply with the collaboration request it received from Amsterdam, in which Amstelveen has since become involved as well.
The IND is carrying out one of our pilot projects at the Expat Center, so that we can discover in practice whether things are going to work out the way we imagine.
For example, with the sponsors, for which a number of local companies have been selected. Or with the one-stop shop, as mentioned by mayor Cohen: finalising registration of the highly skilled migrant in the municipal personal records database and issuing his or her residence papers from the IND all at once.
Meanwhile, the IND has more ideas in the pipeline. Starting next summer, INDIGO will be rolled out in phases. INDIGO is a programme that will gradually renew the IND’s information provision and reorganise the internal processes.
One of the things this means in concrete terms is that, when they submit an application, would-be migrants will only have to answer questions that apply to their own situation.Which means fully customised forms. Applications for work or study can be completed online in Dutch or English, with intelligent support via internet.
And the site NewtoHolland.nl will be completely revamped. In other words, starting next year already, people who want to come to the Netherlands for work or study can expect better service.
And now I would like to close with a news scoop. I am honoured and pleased to present the very first documents to be issued in the Expat Center – proving that we are on the right track – to Mr Chaudhari and Mr Gelli, who will be working for Tata, and to Mr Inan, who is joining Garantibank. And speaking about Garantibank, Garantibank was the first employer to hire a highly skilled migrant in the year 2004.