ACCESS NL > Features > Search-year changes for Non-EU graduates
Search-year changes for Non-EU graduates
2020-10-02 | By Genoveva Geppaart
The COVID-19 crisis has impacted us in many ways, from our health, social engagements to businesses, and now it has hit the job market too. There have been fewer vacancies available now in the job market, especially for new-entry positions. This causes problems for recent graduates from non-EU countries who would like to find a job in the Netherlands after graduation.
Lower salary criterion
Under normal circumstances, these graduates are entitled to a search year (also called orientation year) to find a job in the Netherlands. However, because of the COVID-19 crisis, it is now more difficult than before to find a job. It was hoped that the search year could be extended for these graduates, but the government is not open to this idea.
In order to help the recent non-EU graduates, there has been a drastic change in the salary requirement, where it has now been lowered. The exact figures and conditions can be found on this website. This lower salary criterion also applies if you switch the condition to the highly skilled migrant worker directly within three years after having graduated in the Netherlands. If you have graduated but you are not using the orientation year, you are also entitled to the reduced salary criterion.
Further information about the search year can be found here.
You can find many questions and answers about finding work in the Netherlands here on the ACCESS Website.
For further questions regarding Covid-19 and losing your job or any other questions about your life in the Netherlands, please contact the ACCESS helpdesk or email helpdesk@access-nl.org.
About the author
Genoveva is a native Dutch and based in The Hague. She studied library and information science in Tilburg and The Hague and worked for about 20 years at KPN. She likes research and writing, and loves to explore many other subjects. She is an ACCESS volunteer since 2005.
