27 February 2008

AMSTERDAM - The new  Expatcenter aims to reduce the bureaucratic hassle omnipresent when foreign workers come to work in the Netherlands.

The Expatcenter, a joint initiative between the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) and the Amsterdam, Amstelveen city council,  will focus on making it easier for companies employing knowledge migrants and the skilled employees themselves to enter the Netherlands and clear their paperwork before officially being able to start work on Dutch soil.

The centre will work with the IND and companies to accelerate the VVR (residence permit) and MVV (temporary residence authorisation) procedure and will eventually be digitally accessible.

Jan Paul Van Alphen, a spokesperson for the IND, said on Monday at a presentation at the WTC where the centre is being set up that businesses clearly need a faster response rate than around eight weeks when bringing a knowledge worker into the country. The new procedure will reduce the response rate to four weeks. Employers would also now be able to fill in a combined MVV/ VVR application where necessary.

Van Alphen described the Expat Centre as a one-stop-shop for the employer recruiting foreign knowledge workers. Once the pilot procedure is successfully up and running similar centres will likely be started around the Netherlands.

The Amsterdam centre will only serve those knowledge migrants living in Amsterdam and Amstelveen, although they may be working outside of these areas.

Visit the Expatcenter website at www.expatloket.nl/expatcenter

[Copyright Expatica News 2008]