Dutch Modern Migration Policy Act and the he Highly Skilled Migrant Program (interview with Marcel Reurs)

Marcel Reurs, Attorney-at-law, Partner, Everaert Advocaten, one of the oldest and largest independent Dutch immigration law firm's, talks to Connect about the Modern Migration Policy Act & its implications for India expats and highlights the opportunities for Indian businesses in the Netherlands.

Q1. Has the modern migration policy been fully implemented & how will it impact the entry of skilled workers from India into the Netherlands?

The Modern Migration Policy Act has been implemented and will take effect in less than 3 months, on June 1, 2013. It will simplify the immigration procedures for skilled expats. On the other hand, it will place additional responsibilities on employers of highly skilled migrants, in their new capacity of “authorized sponsor”. Employers will need to become fully aware of these responsibilities and must ensure their global mobility policies are compliant. Should they neglect this, then as of June 1, they will be at risk of penalties and, ultimately, having their status as authorized sponsor being revoked, which means they are banned from the Highly Skilled Migrant Program (HSMP) for a period up to 5 years. This means, that they will be disqualified from sponsoring new workers under the HSMP and from continuing the sponsoring of their current HSMP population.

Read the rest of the interview here:  http://indodutchconnect.com/articles/immigration-advice_837.html

Holland: 2013 Salary criteria for highly-skilled migrants

Highly-skilled migrants, key personnel and those holding a Blue Card must fulfil a salary criterion, which would be reviewed on an annual basis. On the 1st of January, 2013, the following gross annual wages will go into effect, including vacation pay:

• Highly-skilled migrants from 30 years €52,010.-
• Highly-skilled migrants younger than 30 years €38,141.-
• People who graduated in the Netherlands €27,336.-
• Corporate employees €52,010.-
• Blue Card €60,952.-

To whom do these new rates apply?
The new rates apply to everyone who submits a request to the IND for an MVV (multiple entry clearance visa), a residence permit or a Blue Card, on or after 1 January, 2013. If an application for an MVV is submitted before that date, the wage criterion for 2012 would apply, even if the accompanying residence permit application is not submitted until after 1 January, 2013.

Do I need to adjust the salaries of our highly-skilled migrants annually according to the new wage criterion?
No

When should I apply the new wage rates?
1. When you employ a highly skilled migrant, a corporate employee or a Blue Card holder, either from another country or from the Netherlands;
2. When a corporate employee from another country is transferred;
3. At the time a residence permit is extended.

Furthermore, you should be sure that during the term of his contract, the salary of your highly-skilled migrant, corporate employee or Blue Card holder does not drop under the salary limit that applied when the request for a residence permit or the Blue Card was submitted (e.g. due to part-time work).

Which highly-skilled migrant falls into which category?
Highly-skilled migrants, 30 years or older, who are beginning employment on or after 1 January, 2013, should meet the wage criterion of €52,010.-

Highly skilled migrants, 29 years old or younger who are beginning employment on or after 1 January, 2013, should meet the wage criterion of €38,141.-

For the highly-skilled migrants who did, or will turn 30 years old during the course of their employment contract, the lower wage criterion will apply as long as they continue working for the same “employer”.
The “employer” here means: the person or legal entity with whom the employee has entered into an employment contract.
For students who graduate in the Netherlands and find employment as highly-skilled migrants within a year of completing their studies, there is an extra low wage criterion, regardless of their age. This criterion is set at €27,336.- for 2013 and will remain valid even if they change employers.

Scientific researchers and doctors in training to be specialists
Scientific researchers and doctors in training to be specialists may start employment as highly-skilled migrants but do not have to meet a wage criterion other than the general subsistence requirement from the Immigration Act. The social assistance benefits for a single person in 2013 will be €1100.89 per month (exclusive of vacation pay).

Corporate employees
When “start employment” and “employer” are mentioned above, what is also meant is: a company that receives a highly-skilled migrant within the confines of a corporate transfer and for that reason is regarded to be a sponsor by the IND.
Applicable to corporate employees who come to work in the Netherlands with a work permit (TWV) on or after 1 January 2013, there is a wage criterion of €52,010.-, which applies to the entire duration of the work permit.

Advice
If an employer does not meet the salary criterion, the Inspector from the Ministry of Social Affairs can impose a fine of €12,000.- per highly-skilled migrant, corporate employee or Blue Card holder. An employer, as a sponsor of highly-skilled migrants, is also required to report any changes in salaries to the IND.

For further information, please contact Marcel Reurs or Ted Badoux.

Original found here: http://www.everaert.nl/en/news/13-bedrijven/161-looncriteria-kennismigranten-2013

Amsterdam aantrekkelijk voor kennismigranten uit de BRIC-landen

Sorry this newspaper article is only available in Dutch

Hoogopgeleiden uit de BRIC-landen (Brazilië, Rusland, India en China) zijn positief over het wonen in Amsterdam. Kennismigranten, hoogopgeleide buitenlanders die naar Nederland komen om een bijdrage te leveren aan de kenniseconomie, zijn belangrijk voor Amsterdam. Als arbeidspotentieel, maar ook omdat ze de banden tussen Amsterdam en het land van herkomst versterken.

Een band met Amsterdam is voor deze kennismigranten een band voor het leven. Dit is extra belangrijk wanneer het opkomende economische grootmachten betreft zoals Brazilië en India. Dat blijkt uit de scriptie 'Kennismigratie vanuit de BRIC-landen naar Amsterdam', die Alwin Groen - inmiddels afgestudeerd als master Economische Geografie aan de Universiteit Utrecht - schreef tijdens zijn stage bij de Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening. Groen voerde daarvoor gesprekken met hoogopgeleiden uit de BRIC-landen, woonachtig in Amsterdam.

Vrij gevoel

De kennismigranten uit de vier groei-economieën zijn met name positief over de openbare ruimte in Amsterdam. Ze prijzen de stad om haar veiligheid, milieukwaliteit, openbaar vervoersysteem en fietsinfrastructuur. Daarnaast dragen culturele factoren bij aan het positieve imago van Amsterdam. De multiculturele aard van de stad, het gegeven dat er goed Engels wordt gesproken en de individualistische samenleving komen hierbij naar voren. "Hoogopgeleiden uit de BRIC-landen zijn afkomstig uit megasteden als Beijing en Sao Paulo, waar de beste banen voor handen zijn," vertelt Groen. "De grootte van die steden brengt negatieve effecten met zich mee, zoals geluidsoverlast, milieuoverlast en onveiligheid. Stuk voor stuk punten waarop Amsterdam zich positief onderscheidt. Ook hebben de migranten het idee dat hun kennis hier volledig tot recht komt. In Amsterdam worden ze niet als allochtoon aangekeken, maar beoordeeld op de wijsheid die ze meebrengen. Dat geeft een 'vrij gevoel'. 
Het moeilijkste is echter om de groep voor Amsterdam te interesseren. Bij het bepalen van de migratiekeuze behoort Amsterdam niet tot de voornaamste opties. "Kennismigranten uit de BRIC-landen zijn vrijwel allemaal gericht op de grootste of meest prestigieuze steden ter wereld. Londen, New York, Boston. En daar houdt het op. Ze gaan voor het meest bekende en kijken niet snel verder." Daarmee blijven steden als Amsterdam, met tal van onvermoede kwaliteiten, onderbelicht. "Meerdere respondenten wisten in eerste instantie niet dat in Amsterdam goed Engels wordt gesproken. Dat is jammer, want zo loop je veel migranten mis. Als ze hier eenmaal wonen, zijn ze heel tevreden. Maar zie ze hier eerst maar eens te krijgen."

In opkomst

De dienst Economische Zaken van de gemeente Amsterdam onderkent het belang van de BRIC-landen. Via de China- en India Desk wordt structureel geïnvesteerd in het aantrekken van bedrijven uit de vier groeilanden. Groen geeft de dienst mee Amsterdam internationaal beter te promoten. "Dat kunnen we doen door met specialistische onderwijsinstellingen naar onderwijsbeurzen in de BRIC-landen te gaan. Daarnaast is het belangrijk om te blijven investeren in toerisme - de eerste kennismaking met Amsterdam begint vaak met een toeristisch bezoek." Wanneer op die wijze wordt voortgegaan, voorziet Groen een positieve toekomst. "De mate waarin Amsterdam kennismigranten uit de BRIC-landen aantrekt, is op dit moment nog vrij gering. Maar Amsterdam is hard in opkomst." Uit statistische gegevens blijkt dat het aantal inwoners uit de BRIC-landen in Amsterdam de afgelopen tien jaar meer dan vertienvoudigd is, van 609 naar 7374. "En dat is een stijging die je in weinig andere Europese steden terugziet. Er is duidelijk potentie voor de toekomst."

De BRIC-landen

Sinds 2001 wordt de term 'BRIC' gehanteerd voor de vier snelst groeiende economieën ter wereld. Onlangs bleek uit onderzoek van het Centraal Planbureau dat ongeveer 100.000 banen en bijna twee procent van het nationaal inkomen van de Nederlandse economie te danken zijn aan handel met de BRIC-landen.


Original: http://www.amsterdam.nl/gemeente/organisatie-diensten/dienst-ruimtelijke/nieuws/nieuws-dro/2012/amsterdam/?goback=.gsm_1624427_1_*2_*2_*2_lna_PENDING_*2.gde_1624427_member_109681809.gmp_1624427.gde_1624427_member_109682695

Parliament backs changes to 30% ruling, set salary and time limits

MPs have voted in favour of changes to the 30% tax ruling for expats, bringing in a minimum salary and cutting the duration to eight years.

However, the new regulations are less severe than originally planned. Expats must now earn a basic salary of €50,000 (including the tax break) to qualify, rather than the €70,000 originally planned.

In addition, there will be no salary minimum for academic staff and researchers, and a new category of ‘young masters’ will be created for the under-30s who earn at least €38,000 (including the tax break).

No change for most

Ton Krol, of tax consultancy Blue Clue Tax says young people at the start of their career and those on a job rotation system within multinationals will be worst affected.

‘This will make it more difficult to attract new staff because talented people who are willing to move can work everywhere. Why work in the Netherlands if your net income can be twice as much somewhere else?’ he said.

In order to pay for the shortfall in expected tax income, the government has cut the duration of the tax break from 10 to eight years.

Distance

However, no changes have been made to the proposed 150 km requirement – which means expats must have lived at least 150 km from the Dutch border to qualify.

‘This means residents of Belgium who are working in the Netherlands will be severely hit,’ says Arjan Enneman, managing director of tax specialists Expatax.

‘The same applies to Germans who live close to the border. You have to ask if this will stand up in court, even though the minister says this is allowed under EU regulations,' he said. 'But what about the expat who temporarily worked in Belgium before he is seconded to the Netherlands?’



http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2011/11/parliament_backs_changes_to_30.php

Highly skilled migrants (non-EU nationals)

A highly skilled migrant is a migrant who comes to the Netherlands to be employed, and has a gross annual income of at least €47,565, or €34,881 if he/she is under thirty. This income requirement does not apply if the employee enters service for certain functions in an educational or research institution. For information on the specific functions to which this clause applies, you can inquire at the IND office for labour and highly skilled migrants. When a foreign national has been granted residence in the Netherlands as a highly skilled migrant, the employer of the highly skilled migrant is not required to be in possession of a work permit for that foreign national.
Professional soccer players, ministers of religion, teachers of religion and prostitutes are not eligible for a residency as highly skilled migrant.

Important!
The amounts stated above will be indexed every year as of 1 January.

Source: http://english.ind.nl

Introduction of the ‘European Blue Card’

As from 19 June 2011 the Netherlands has a new purpose of stay: the European Blue Card. The European Blue Card is a separate purpose of stay in addition to the existing National Highly Skilled Migrant Programme. The EU Blue Card Council Directive is intended for highly skilled foreign nationals who do not have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality, and who wish to work in one of the member states of the EU. The Directive is also meant to make it easier to settle in another EU member state. A residence permit will always be required in that other member state, however. To obtain this residence permit the employee must comply with the conditions applicable in that member state.

The conditions for residence in the Netherlands as an EU Blue Card holder are stricter than those for residence as a Highly Skilled Migrant. The employee must have a contract for highly qualified employment for at least one year, earning at least EUR 60,000 gross (in 2011). The employee must have completed a course of higher education lasting at least three years. The employee must prove this by having his diploma assessed by Nuffic. For a regulated profession, a competent authority will take decisions about the admission to that profession.

Advantages
One of the advantages of the EU Blue Card is that it is easier for an EU Blue Card holder and his family members to settle in another EU member state at a later date. After eighteen months foreign nationals who have an EU Blue Card are exempted from the provisional residence permit (MVV) requirement, if they want to work in another EU member State. In this second member state the employee must submit an application for a residence permit as a holder of an EU Blue Card. Each member state may implement the directive in slightly different ways. If someone holds a Blue Card in the Netherlands, this does not mean that the requirements are also met in other member states.

Another advantage is that after having stayed lawfully with the EU Blue Card holder in the Netherlands for two years, the family members may apply for a residence permit for ‘continued residence’. For other purposes of stay this is only possible after having stayed lawfully in the Netherlands for three years. The family members must have resided legally and continuously within the territory of an EU member state for at least five years, however. An employee who has stayed legally in the Netherlands as an EU Blue Card holder for two years may apply for the status of ‘long-term resident as a non-EU member country national’. He must have resided legally and continuously within EU territory for five years and must comply with the other conditions for this purpose of stay.

source: http://english.ind.nl/nieuws/2011/invoering-europese-blauwe-kaart.aspx?cp=111&cs=385