Highly Skilled Migrant salaries 2026

Many companies in the Netherlands employ highly skilled migrants. To qualify for the Highly Skilled Migrant procedure, two key criteria apply:

The company must be a recognized sponsor with the IND.
The migrant must meet a salary threshold, which is reviewed annually.

The salary requirements for 2026 have been published:

Highly Skilled Migrant above/exactly 30 years: € 5.942
Highly Skilled Migrant under 0 years: € 4.357
Highly Skilled Migrant after search year: € 3.122
EU Blue Card: € 5.942
EU Blue Card after search year: € 4.754

Starting January 1, 2026 the following governmental fees apply:

Recognition as a sponsor (regular)	€5,080
Recognition as a sponsor (reduced)	€2,539
Highly Skilled Migrant or European Blue Card application	€423

The new standard salary amounts for highly skilled migrants will apply from 1 January 2026. Important to know is that all immigration applications for new applications, submitted in 2025, will be under the 2025 thresholds. However, in case of change of employer notifications, the salary requirement is based on the start date of the new employment contract. If a new contract starts on 1 January 2026, the 2026 salary standard applies, even if the change of employer was reported in December 2025.

Government’s proposal for HSM 2026 and beyond

From 2026 onwards, companies seeking recognized sponsorship and wishing to hire non-EU Highly Skilled Migrants will likely face stricter requirements, such as:

Enhanced reliability screening:
- Criminal records and past violations of labour and tax laws.
- Fines under employment-related legislation. This could affect your company’s eligibility if there are compliance issues in your HR or payroll practices.
Clearer financial health criteria;
- Long-term financial continuity.
- Sufficient solvency and liquidity. This is especially relevant for startups and scale-ups — business plan and financials will be scrutinized more closely.
Introduction of an economic relevance test; to determine what a new recognized sponsor will add to the Dutch economy.

For more details on these proposed changes, see our earlier news update.

Expanded administrative requirements for recognised sponsors

Starting from January 1, 2026, sponsors must provide additional proof that salaries have actually been paid to the employee’s account. Payslips alone are no longer sufficient, as they do not confirm payment.

Acceptable documents include: