In 2021 and 2020 we are the best-rated law firm in the Netherlands in terms of client satisfaction.

In 2021 and 2020 we are the best-rated law firm in the Netherlands in terms of client satisfaction.

Highly Skilled Migrants

The Dutch immigration policies allow companies to, quickly and in a straightforward manner, recruit highly skilled personnel from outside the European Union. In order to allow this there is a specific ruling for highly skilled labour. Within the EU this ruling is among the most favourable for allowing skilled labour in.

The first step for a company to be able to employ highly skilled migrants is to become a recognised sponsor. The Dutch Immigration Service makes the assessment whether a company can be a trusted partner for the Immigration Service and be accepted as recognised sponsor. This takes approximately 5 weeks.

Recognized sponsor
  • The government fee to apply to be become a recognised sponsor is € 4,326.
  • For start-ups and companies employing less than 50 employees the government fee is € 2,162.

Once the company is approved to become a recognised sponsor, this is for indefinite period. Only once approved can the company file applications for highly skilled migrant visa and work permits.

EU Blue Card

The EU has adopted Directive 2009/50/EC which regulates the entry of highly skilled migrants within the EU. This particular residence permit is called the EU Blue Card.The EU Blue Card will co-exist with the residence permit for highly skilled migrants. The EU Blue Card is not easier to be acquired than the residence permit for highly skilled migrants, but it will allow for better possibilities to work in other EU member countries. The salary threshold to qualify for the EU Blue Card is gross per month € 5,867 (exclusive 8% holiday pay), which is gross annually € 70,404 (excluding 8% holiday allowance).

Salary tresholds 2023
  • Foreigners, 30 years of age or older, need to earn a gross monthly salary of € 5,008 (excluding 8% holiday pay), which comes down to an annual salary of at least € 60,096 (excluding 8% holiday allowance).
  • For foreigners younger than 30 years of age, the gross monthly salary threshold is € 3,672 (exclusive 8% holiday pay), which is annually € 44,064 (exclusive 8% holiday allowance).
  • For foreigners who have studied and graduated in the Netherlands following their studies, the threshold is € 2,631 gross per month (exclusive 8% holiday pay), on an annual basis that is € 31,572 (excluding 8% holiday allowance).
Court rulings won bij Kroes Advocaten on highly skilled migrant permits that were withdrawn by IND

Click here and here for court rulings won in 2022 by our lawyers in which the court rules that the residence permit as a highly skilled migrant has been wrongfully withdrawn by IND. Here and here you can read the summary for both court cases.

Procedure

When applying for a highly skilled migrant visa and residence permit, a labour contract indicating the salary does not have to be included with the application.

The procedure itself is fairly quick. According to the policy of the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) a decision on the application is given within two weeks of the submission. In practise it takes between 2-3 weeks.

Nationals that do need an MVV-visa (Schengen D-visa) to enter the Netherlands, will need another 1 to 7 days to collect the MVV-visa at the Dutch embassy.

The company in the Netherlands applying for the HSM visa does need to be registered ahead of time with the Highly Skilled Migrant Scheme with the IND. This registration can be done within 4 to 6 weeks.

Questions regarding this subject?

Reach out to Sander.

Testimonials
Be in Good Company. Our clients appreciate our excellent and client-oriented service.
9.9
Effective and efficient communication!
9
Axel
21 March 2023
My partner and I had a consultation with lawyer Inge te Pas regarding possibilities for immigration to the Netherlands. Inge was kind and approachable and gave clear advice on the issue at hand, and was able to answer all our questions. Based…
10
Sam
21 March 2023
It takes a lot of stress away to work with an experienced and approachable lawyer like Sheryl.
10
Aroen
20 March 2023
I recently had the pleasure of working with Edward Van Kempen from Kroes Advocaten. From the first moment of our consultation, I could tell that Edward was truly dedicated to helping me with my matter. Thanks to the Edward’s hard work and…
10
Marlene
20 March 2023
This is the second time I have relied on the excellent guidance of Kroes Advocaten and I am again very satisfied - I will not hesitate to reach out to them in the future if needed. I highly recommend them for their professionalism, experience,…
10
Fabiano
20 March 2023
The advice and support we received for our migration administrative process really made a difference. The lawyer who followed our file showed a lot of availability to answer our doubts and questions. We felt supported throughout the different…
10
justine dupuy
19 March 2023
Quick response, very professional advice, deep understanding of a customer's needs
10
Serge
16 March 2023
A highly professional approach and not typical fast response time to customer inquiries. We have been working with this company for several years and have always had a positive experience.
10
Anna
16 March 2023
Jelle has been great in providing the answer to my query. He replies within few hours after I contacted him, definitely if you need help reach out to Jelle and he will support you!
10
Angela
14 March 2023
Read some testimonials from clients
Cristina Ruz, HR Director, Strategic Business Partner

"Sheryl Goldberg is one of the best Immigration professionals that I have worked with. She has a vast knowledge of the immigration system but her differentiator is the way she applies this to any business situation together with her direct and plain way to explain the solutions. In additional to this, Sheryl is great and positive person and we find her as an extension to our HR team. Thanks so much Sheryl for all your help!"

Martijn Coeveld, Director of Operations

“We consider Kroes Advocaten as one of our key partners; they play an essential role in recruiting new talent for TBA. Kroes Advocaten provide clarity early-on, get to action promptly and are responsive throughout the entire visa application process.”

Marek Macek, Consulting Direct

“We have not had a single instance where Kroes Advocaten did not deliver what was promised to us. They are typically very specific about the process, costs and timelines. This is a great value-add to us, as it simply takes away another risk item and allows us to successfully live up to our commitments to our customers.”

Marios Stangonis, Legal Department

“The team of KROES Advocaten leaves us always satisfied with the quality of the services they provide us with. They know very well the technicalities of Dutch immigration law and legal procedures and are able to give us precise direction within short deadlines. We feel confident that every issue we assign them is under control.”

Amy Darling

Jelle was a fantastic partner and advisor throughout the process of applying for nearly 20 work permits for our staff. He was always very transparent about the work that needed to be completed for the best results and was very upfront about the costs of that work. We never felt manipulated or neglected, and both Jelle and his team were very pleasant to work with. We would highly recommend hiring Jelle and his team for any US companies hoping to obtain permits for working in the Netherlands.”

Parag Deshpande, Sr. Director

“All expectations met. They also helped set a process for audit from IND in Netherlands for us which is really handy. They maintain a copy of each case in electronic and physical format at their office. Also reminders on expiring visas and application to renew the same in time is handy.”

Nynke Doorenbos, Executive Vice President, HR, Legal and Operations

"We have been working with Kroes Advocaten for several years mainly in relation to Visa applications for expats. We value their efficiency, responsiveness and professionalism. Based on our experience in working with them, we have complete faith in their capabilities of getting the job done! On behalf of our organisation I take this opportunity to thank Sander Groen, Sarah Lindeboom and the rest of the team for always delivering excellence and organizing valuable seminars and events for knowledge sharing. Very much appreciated!"

Kailas Ugale, Manager – Visa & Immigration

“Kroes Advocaten  is a leader in the field of Dutch Immigration law, work permit and process and consistently provides us with outstanding value. Their service remains extremely client oriented, user friendly and highly efficient. Their fees are extremely competitive yet they offer solid legal strategic advice with consistently high service and results.” 

Vera Hoffmann, Global Mobility Manager

"They are great to work with, responsiveness, knowledgeable and great communication to our foreigners. "

Henk Offermans, Finance & HR Manager

Kroes Advocaten have assisted us a few times now with expats coming from Japan and we can testify that they have a very straightforward approach. What really stands out is their way of communication. They are clear on every step, inform us immediately when there is new information and also help the expats, who are unfamiliar with the Netherlands, by showing them what to do in a clear way when their input is required. Our expats are very positive about the service delivered.

Venera Khairullina, Visa Strategy & Compliance Group

We  have been working with Kroes Advocaten for all our visa applications in Netherlands. They have been very efficient, responsive, and have a high-skilled team of immigration specialists. They also very good in finding smart solutions that are compliant with the local laws and regulations and they timely warn us about any changes in the local law. We are generally very pleased with their assistance.

Anurag Nautiyal, Sales Director & Head – Continental Europe

I would like to thank Kroes Advocaten  for the excellent job that all of you have done in managing these assignments. It was professionally handled, expertly managed, with timely updates and at no point did it seem that you are not in control. “

Teresa Vanderlaan, Global Humans Resources Manager 

Many times we are all rushing to get work completed and forget the simple words of “thank you”. I wanted to stop today and tell you I truly appreciate how responsive you and your team are, how you communicate and explain the world of immigration to myself and colleagues, and your availability to myself and anyone on my team. While I am half Dutch, I have heard generalizations made, that the Dutch are very slow in responding and working. That has not been the case with you and you have no idea how helpful it has been for me to work with you. So “thank you”. You help me make my job easier.

Rony Barbi, Director of HR

"Fornova started working with Mr. Sander Groen on January 2016 and is using his excellent services for its employees. Mr. Groen has shown that he has vast knowledge, experience and always available to give us the professional services we needed.“

Murat Alexandrovich Koedanetov, Directeur

"Kroes Advocaten has been assisting Arkoil Technologies Netherlands for many years with applications for visas and work permits for its staff, with legal issues and all our questions regarding the Aliens Act. We at Arkoil Technologies Netherlands believe that Kroes Advocaten offers excellent and client-oriented service. And points that we find very important are: flexibility, good communication, quick answers and of course solutions that are always found by Kroes Advocaten."

Pieter Viljoen Sr, CEO and founder of Infomet

"I wish to express my satisfaction and extreme gratitude for the very competent and thorough work done by Sander Groen with respect to the handling of Pieter Viljoen Jr.'s immigration matters. He is a true professional and a truly pleasant individual to work with! He is knowledgeable, factual, and wise!"

Barak Bar-Hen, CEO Elad Europe

"The Elad Europe group has started working with Mr. Sander Groen since 2007, and is using his good services for its employees. Mr. Groen has shown that he has vast knowledge, experience and good contacts within the authorities and always provided best results in minimum time."

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