Employers who want to benefit from global talent pools and employ high-skilled employees who are citizens of different countries necessarily intersect with the issue of sponsoring highly skilled migrants. As Unusual Payroll, in this blog, we will summarise the responsibilities and rights of businesses that want to sponsor highly skilled migrants in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands stands out as an attractive migration route for professionals with expertise worldwide. Factors such as Dutch quality of life, welfare level, and working environment attract highly skilled migrants (HSM) to the country. This situation also creates opportunities for employers who want to benefit from global talent pools and employ talented employees from different countries. However, in the Netherlands, employers must fulfil certain responsibilities to employ highly skilled migrants within the legal compliance framework. Dutch law refers to this as sponsoring highly skilled migrants. In this article, Unusual Payroll, which specialises in Dutch payroll services, we will discuss sponsoring highly skilled migrants and the obligations this situation brings.
Conditions that highly skilled migrants must meet to relocate to the Netherlands
The Dutch government runs its highly skilled migrant program to tap into global talent pools. This scheme, developed to facilitate the immigration process of qualified graduates, who are rare in the Dutch labour market, to the Netherlands, offers Dutch employers the opportunity to relocate foreign talent who wish to live and work in the Netherlands, benefitting from various tax advantages.
For a highly skilled migrant to work in the Netherlands, they must first have a Dutch residence permit. Only employers recognised as sponsors by the IND, which carries out immigration and naturalization processes in the Netherlands, can apply for this permit on behalf of their employees. The Netherlands lists the sponsors recognised by IND Netherlands on the following website, and Unusual Enterprise B.V., the parent company of Unusual Payroll, is also included in this list. Employers who regularly bring students, scientific researchers or highly skilled migrants to the Netherlands are defined as sponsors by the IND. However, sponsors and well-known sponsors can apply for a Dutch work visa for foreign employees. In addition, the employment period of these employees of sponsors recognised by the Netherlands is shorter.
How can Dutch employers hire HSM?
Once identified as a sponsor, Dutch employers must initiate an Entry and Residence Procedure (TEV) for the highly skilled migrant they wish to employ. Investigating whether there is any harm in the foreigners living and working in the Netherlands takes about two weeks. If these people are found eligible, they are entitled to receive a temporary stay permit (MVV) issued by the Dutch embassy until they obtain a residence permit.
Of course, these people must meet specific income standards to live and work in the Netherlands. The IND website regularly updates the minimum gross income information required for a residence permit.
Obligations of Employers hiring highly skilled migrants
The Dutch government makes employers who employ highly skilled migrants in the country responsible to employees and the government. These obligations are listed under the following headings:
Obligation to provide information: The Netherlands imposes an obligation to notify IND within 4 weeks of any updates such as income changes, changes in the employee's presence in the Netherlands, company closure, or change of address that will affect the residence permit or recognition status as a sponsor.
Obligation to keep and preserve records: In addition, employers are expected to keep the information of the foreign national employee for up to 5 years from the date the person becomes a sponsor.
Duty of care: The Dutch government places the onus on the employer to carefully select businesses that employ highly skilled migrants. In addition, informing this person about the procedures is also among the employer’s responsibilities.
Return of a foreign national: In cases where a foreign national leaves the job, the employer is held responsible and liable for the return of the foreign national to his/her country.
The IND supervises such obligations, and employers determined not to fulfil their responsibilities may face administrative fines. Additionally, the IND may suspend or withdraw recognition of the business as a sponsor.
Payroll services for those who do not want to get lost in the paperwork
Being a sponsor, carrying out paperwork with the IND, and explaining all the procedures to employees can be tiring for businesses. Businesses that want to employ highly skilled migrants in the Netherlands, relocate qualified foreign workers to the country, and benefit from tax incentives such as the 30% Ruling also choose to outsource these processes.
Companies specialising in employer services and payroll processes can handle the recruitment of highly skilled migrants on behalf of Dutch employers.
Place highly skilled migrants in the Netherlands within 1 month with Unusual Payroll
Unusual Payroll operates as a Payroll company in the Netherlands. Unusual Payroll, which facilitates the relocation of highly skilled migrants to the Netherlands with a 100% success rate, stands out as a trusted service provider for employers in their employment and payroll processes. In the services provided by Unusual Payroll, the steps of signing the payroll and employee contract are followed by the Highly Skilled Migrant Visa application and approval. Unusual Payroll's comprehensive Payroll Services also include obtaining a BSN for the employee, application for the 30% Ruling, social security bank account registration, insurance agency registration, tax office registration, monthly payroll management, income tax returns and social security, annual balance sheets and reports. Contact us if you want to discover what we can do for you. Get professional assistance from Unusual Payroll for your payroll and employment processes, and you can focus only on your business.
