A highly skilled migrant is a highly educated employee from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland who comes to work in the Netherlands on the basis of his or her knowledge and skills. Specific salary criteria apply and the employer must be a recognised sponsor with the IND.

Other commonly used work-related immigration procedures are the EU Blue Card and the Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICT) Directive. Both can also be used without a recognized sponsorship. However, with recognized sponsorship, you will receive faster decisions in a maximum of 30 days. Without recognized sponsorship, this is a maximum of 90 days.

– From 30 years: € 5 688 gross per month
– Under 30 years old: € 4 171 gross per month
– After a search year: € 2 989 gross per month

The residence permit is valid for the duration of the labour contract, with a maximum of 5 years. After that, the highly skilled migrant can apply for a permit for indefinite stay, provided that the conditions are met.

– Recognized sponsorship at the IND
– Application for the residence permit (and possibly entry visa MVV)
– Employment contract and payroll administration
– Housing, health insurance and integration guidance
– Filing and compliance with the duty of care

If your company is already a recognized sponsor, it is on average 4 to 6 weeks. This depends on the planning for picking up the MVV entry visa. Most nationalities need an MVV to be able to enter the Netherlands.

The governmental (IND) fee is € 405 per application (2025). 
This is exclusive of the costs for a company that guides you through the application. 

If the residence permit is approved and: 

– If the employee is subject to MVV, then immediately after arrival in the Netherlands
– The employee who is not subject to MVV must first go to the IND after arrival in the Netherlands for registration and delivery of biometric data.

Yes, but the new employer must also be a recognised sponsor. The old employer deregisters the employee for that company, and the new employer registers the employee again. Make sure that you follow this procedure, as non-compliance can cause serious issues with the IND.

The highly skilled migrant usually has a search period of 3 months to find a new job. After that, the residence permit expires unless a new application has been submitted. As sponsor, you are responsible for the departure of the employee.

Yes, partners and children can move to the Netherlands, provided that the conditions are met. Separate applications must be submitted for this purpose. Partners and/or children can also join later.

The partner from a highly skilled migrant can work in the Netherlands as long as the residence permit is valid.

Anywr Netherlands applies for hundreds of highly skilled migrant schemes per year. We have full expertise and can handle the applications on your behalf. If we see any incompliance we will always report this and look for a solution together with you. We keep track of the expiry dates of permits, ensure that you are notified when it is time for renewal. No more worries about compliance!