Hello! I’m (24F) writing this post to hopefully get a little bit of clarity and advice for my American boyfriend (23M). My boyfriend is currently still studying in the United States while we are in a long distance relationship. He’s very enthousiastic about moving to my home country, the Netherlands, though we are quite overwhelmed as to where to even begin.
He is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Mathematics. He would love to teach here somehow if possible, but is also eligible for jobs like Data Analyst which seems in relatively high demand. He’s expected to graduate in the summer of 2024.
Finding information has been quite a mess. And we’re both a little overwhelmed trying to figure out what steps to take first. Does one go job hunting from afar? And when does the work visa come into play?
Overall I’d be thrilled to hear some stories or advice. We’re at the very least practicing the language bit by bit and are actively brainstorming.
Many thanks in advance! 💙
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Studying in the US at an American university and trying to get a job in the Netherlands is only going to make his job search x1000 harder.
Because of EU laws, a company in NL basically can only hire a foreigner if someone in NL is not capable (or if they cannot find that person) to do the job. So he’s essentially having to prove that he can do the job better than someone who is in NL already.
As far as I know being a sponsor is your best bet.
I’ve been a sponsor for a ex girlfriend of mine here in NL. If you’re willing to be that for him. You’ll have to prove you have a living space and income so that you can provide for him. Even if he has a job. You’re also going through a difficult process with the IND. For me it involved trips to Amsterdam for the embassy and several hundreds of euros for documents etc. Not only that but you’re essentially stuck with him. I was (like yourself) young and made a mistake with my ex. But as a sponsor you’re by law responsible for them. So keep that in mind. Regardless, If your BF wants citizenship he’ll have to learn the language too. And I’m not too fresh on it but I think he’d have 5 years to become a Dutch citizen.
My advice would be NOT to pursue a partner visa only because you’ll have to prove to IND you can financially support him. That’s a lot of responsibility on your part. If he’s graduating from one of the top 200 universities, he can apply for an orientation visa, come and live with you while he looks for a job. I’d advise him to save some money up before he does since he won’t have a job when he initially comes. The process takes about 6 months.
I think the best bet is to become civil partners, that way his visa won’t be tied to an employer. Once you’ve got the papers sorted and he’s looking for jobs, one thing he could do is get a US-based job and then use a PEO (professional employment organization) or EOR (employer of record) to be able to comply with all the tax rules. I’m currently in this process in Spain. American companies just pay so much more, so I’ll happily pay the EOR fee
By far the easiest way would be a permit as your partner. You don’t have to be married or registered partners; you do have to prove you’re in a long term relationship: https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/family-and-partner/residence-permit-for-partner#requirements This permit will also give him the right to work, without needing an additional work permit.
If not on a permit as a partner- he’d need to independently find a job that allows for a permit as a hughly skilled migrant, with a recognized sponsor as an employer, and a salary above threshold: https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant
As a fresh graduate, that could prove to be quite difficult.