Combined Work and Residence Permit Takes Effect April 1 for Local Hires

Effective April 1, 2014, third-country nationals intending to work in the Netherlands for a Dutch employer for more than three months may apply for a combined work and residence permit rather than being required to apply for a separate work permit. There will be no substantive changes in work authorization criteria or conditions under the new process. The change is the result of the Netherlands implementing an EU directive.

Applications for the Combined Permit for Stay and Work (GVVA) will be submitted to the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) which will seek advice about the labor market from the Dutch Labor Office. The IND will issue the GVVA if the advice is positive and all other criteria are met. A separate document will stipulate any conditions imposed on the work permit.

The new GVVA process will not apply to intracompany transferees, foreign nationals who will work in Netherlands for less than three months, seasonal workers, students and Croatian nationals.

What This Means for Employers

The single permit should eventually streamline the application procedure for foreign nationals hired directly by Dutch employers, but application processing may be delayed initially as immigration officials, the Dutch Labor Office and employers adapt to the new process.

How Fragomen Can Assist

Fragomen can assist with filing the GVVA applications and provide further information about the new process to assist employers adjusting to the new system.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].