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Good news for EU Blue Card holders!
After more than 4 years of litigation by our firm the Dutch immigration authorities (IND) has finally recognized that EU Blue Card holders are allowed to leave the Netherlands for one year or 18 months in total without interruption of their 5 years of residence needed to obtain the EU long term residence permit.
This is a right that EU Blue Card holders directly derive from the EU Blue Card Directive. Which the IND denied. Until now.
During the period of absence it is not necessary that the EU Blue Card holder keeps his job or keeps being paid the required salary for EU Blue Card holders. Not only the period of absence does not cause an interruption for the calculation of the 5 years, the period of absence is also taken into account for the calculation of the 5 years towards obtaining EU long term residence.