"We would like to relocate our family to the Netherlands. We really adore your country and want to live there for at least five years. I intend to set up the Dutch branch of our IT business (of which I am a minority shareholder). My husband wants to practice medicine (he is a paediatrician). Our two daughters are already studying economics at Rotterdam University and will probably graduate in the summer of this year. What are our possibilities?

"PS: we are from Canada (Vancouver)"

Immigration expert Patrick Rovers replies:
Plenty of options. Let’s start with your daughters. They are currently studying in Rotterdam, so I assume they have valid Dutch study-based residence permits.

This summer, once they have graduated from Erasmus University, they are entitled to look for jobs in the Netherlands as knowledge migrants. More than 3500 Dutch employers are registered with the Dutch knowledge migrant (KM) scheme. This scheme falls under the responsibility of the Dutch immigration service, part of the Dutch department of Justice.

The main perk of the knowledge migrant scheme is that it allows its registered employers to employ non-EU nationals without a work permit. I strongly recommend your daughters to aim their job search efforts to these employers. If and when a Dutch KM employer offers them a suitable job, they can subsequently arrange for KM residence permits. The assistance of the KM employer is required.

The minimum annual gross KM salary for ‘Dutch’ graduates is EUR 25.000 (instead of the regular EUR 34.881 or EUR 47.565 minimum annual gross salaries under the KM scheme). The Dutch immigration service will - amongst other documents - demand to see certified copies of their Erasmus university degrees.  

Non-EU doctors

With regard to your husband. As such the Netherlands allows non-EU doctors to practice medicine here but the rules and regulations are strict. In general a non-EU doctor will first have to go through a kind of assessment aimed to grade and check his/her qualifications and experience.

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