Admission scheme for highly educated persons
Under the ‘Admission scheme for highly educated persons’, highly educated 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 start an innovative company, within three years after graduation or finishing a phd.
The organization that the highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) will work for has to be entitled to employ highly skilled migrants. Your annual salary must amount to at least € 26,605 gross (for 2011 - this amount may be adjusted on a yearly basis).
Which persons qualify 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, or
- from a foreign university listed in the top 150 of the 2007 edition of the rankings published in Times Higher Education Supplement or by Jiao Tong Shanghai University.
The points system
In addition, applicants will be assessed on the basis of a points system, for which you must obtain at least 35 points.
| PhD degree | 30 points |
| Master's degree | 25 points |
| Age between 21 and 40 years old | 5 points |
|
An additional 5 points will be granted 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 |
5 points |
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.
Other relevant scheme: Seeking work after graduation
Foreign nationals who directly after obtaining a Master's degree in the Netherlands wish to use a search year to find a job as a highly skilled migrant can also use the admission scheme ‘seeking work after graduation’.
Advantages of admission scheme ‘seeking work after graduation’ over ‘admission scheme for highly educated persons’:
- No workpermit required during the search year
- You do not need to acquire enough points
- Also applicable for foreign nationals obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree
More information on the admission scheme ‘seeking work after graduation’.
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. Information on this purpose of stay is available on the website of Nuffic.
Read more on how to apply for this scheme and the conditions during and after the search year period.
Home
