Government Filing Fees Decrease for Foreign Nationals but Increase for Recognized Sponsors

The situation

The Dutch Immigration Authority reduced government filing fees by more than half for foreign workers and their dependent family members. However, government filing fees for employers to register as recognized sponsors increased slightly.

The new fees are as follows:

Impact

Employers should benefit from a significant decrease in the cost of sponsoring foreign workers and their family members, making the Netherlands a more attractive destination for foreign workers.  

Background

Government filing fees were already significantly reduced in March 2018 in response to a ruling by the European Court of Justice which found that Dutch fees were excessive for certain categories. Before that date, government filing fees in the Netherlands were considerable, and typically increased between one and five percent annually. 

Government fees have decreased again both due to continued fee reviews following the European Court of Justice ruling and a recent Council of State (the highest Dutch administrative court) ruling that fees for family reunification should be reduced. As a result, the Dutch Immigration Authority has linked immigration filing fees to fees for obtaining a Dutch identification card (currently EUR 57); now, immigration fees are set at either three or five times the Dutch identification card fees, depending on the average complexity of the application.

Looking ahead

Fragomen expects the Netherlands to continue developing new policies to make it a more attractive destination for talented foreign workers, and to facilitate employment of graduates and researchers already in the country. Fragomen will monitor developments and will report on relevant changes as they occur.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].