New to hiring
expats?
When you wish to hire a foreign professional for the first time, there are some obligations to meet. At Expat Center Food Valley, we guide you through the entire immigration process for expats. From the preparation and execution of applications and formalities to providing information about further arrangements.
Apply for recognition as a sponsor
If you have never hired a highly skilled migrant or international researcher before, the first step is recognition as a sponsor by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). By doing this, you show that your organisation has an interest in relocating a foreign professional to the Netherlands and that you are a reliable partner of the IND.
Recognition as a sponsor has the following advantages:
- Faster residence permit application for future expats.
- The possibility of applying for a residence permit without having to recruit inside the European Union first.
- More possibilities to hire an employee from outside the EU.
- Family members can be relocated to the Netherlands more easily.
In order to become a recognised sponsor, you must meet a number of legal obligations. We advise you about these specific obligations and explain the responsibilities you have as a recognised sponsor. We also advise you about the application process.
Residence permit
To be eligible for a residence permit, your new employee must meet a number of conditions. We will check whether or not your foreign professional meets the general conditions for expats and the additional conditions for highly skilled migrants. We then submit the application for a residence permit for the highly skilled migrant and, if desired, also for his or her family members.
What we check:
- Whether or not the expat’s wage is in line with the market.
- Whether or not other conditions are applicable.
The residence permit can be picked up at our IND in-house desk on the first Thursday after arrival in the Netherlands.
Apply for visa and work permit
Depending on the country of origin, your foreign professional might need a visa. We provide your new employee with all required information to apply for a visa. A work permit is not required for a highly skilled migrant.
What we check:
- What is your new employee’s country of origin?
- Does your new employee meet the conditions for a residence permit for highly skilled migrants?
- What type of visa is required, if any?
- Which other conditions are applicable?
Biometric data
Does your new employee come to the Netherlands without a visa? In that case, the IND requires some biometric data in order to provide a residence permit. Upon arrival in the Netherlands, we will schedule an appointment at our IND desk to collect this information and submit the application.
Which biometric data does IND collect for the residence permit?
- A fingerprint scan.
- A passport photo. The photo will be made at our IND in-house desk.
- The foreign professional’s signature.
The residence permit can be picked up at our IND in-house desk within 1 or 2 weeks after the biometrics appointment.
Register with the municipality
Every resident of the Netherlands must have a BSN (social security number). Your new employee needs this number when for example opening a bank account and taking out insurances. The BSN number is provided upon registration with the municipality in the Personal Records Database (BRP).
Which conditions apply to the registration, depends on the length of stay and the country of origin.
Once the residence permit has been issued, your new employees will register themselves with the municipality of Wageningen. They will immediately receive their BSN.
Welcome to the Food Valley, find your way in the Netherlands
Once the necessary formalities have been completed, we invite your new employee for a meeting. During this meeting, we welcome the foreign professional to the region, and we help him or her find his or her way around in the Netherlands by providing information.
Which information do we provide?
- Things to be arranged additionally.
- Practical information about the Wageningen region and Food Valley.
- Information on matters such as financial affairs, insurance, education and training, and Dutch law and regulations.