Visa and requirements for students in the Netherlands

Certain overseas students may require a residence permit for coming to the Netherlands for staying and studying there.

For instance, citizens of the European Union and Switzerland don’t require a permit to come to the country also referred to as Holland.  Different visas and permits are required by people depending on their country of origin, their resources and their duration of stay.

Citizens of other countries require a residence permit for staying in the Dutch country for more than 90 days, and for a period lesser than that, a tourist visa is needed.

Most people would need a provisional residence permit, or machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf (MVV), to arrive in the Netherlands. A residence permit (VVR) is also required to stay in the country.

While an MVV is a visa that allows entry into the country, a residence permit (VVR) is also needed to reside in the country. The procedure to obtain both the two documents simultaneously is called the Entry and Residence Procedure (TEV procedure).

Students cannot apply for these documents themselves, but have to let their universities or colleges apply on their behalf. In other words, before the application for the permits can begin, they would need to have been accepted at a university. For certain study programmes at applied sciences universities, the ability to speak Dutch in Dutch would do. In such cases, students can apply to arrive in the Netherlands before their programme begins for a preparation year.

Only if a student’s college or university is a recognised sponsor, they can be able to apply for the permits on his/her behalf.

Most major colleges and universities, however, are recognised sponsors.

Once a student gets a residence permit, s/he needs to do their course programme and get a minimum number of credits every academic year. If a student does not bag that, s/he may be at the risk of losing her/his residence permit.

For people who want to search for a job in the Netherlands after they graduate, they need to apply for the orientation year permit for foreign graduates, allowing them to search for jobs for up to a year while doing internships. People who have not graduated in the Netherlands are also eligible for this as long as the university they passed out from satisfies certain prerequisites.

For more news and updates, assistance with your visa needs or for a Free Assessment of your profile for Immigration or Work Visa’s just visit www.y-axis.com