Are you an international student graduating from a higher degree at Dutch institutions or top universities outside the Netherlands? And do you come from a non-EU country? Then you might be eligible to work or move to the Netherlands with Orientation Year Visa!
WHat is an orientation year (Zoekjaar)?
Highly skilled migrants from non-EU/EEA countries get the chance to stay in the Netherlands after graduating for up to 12 months to search for work. The orientation year visa (sometimes also called search year visa) is intended for foreign students who have studied in the Netherlands, graduated from a top university outside of the Netherlands or for foreign scientific researchers who have carried out their research in the Netherlands. Finding a job with orientation year visa will become easier for students from non-EU/EEA countries as it comes with many benefits.
Who can apply?
The ‘Orientation year highly educated persons’ or ‘Zoekjaar hoogopgeleiden’ residence permit is for graduates or scientific researchers from countries outside of the EU/EEA. You can find out in the following paragraph if you are eligible to apply for the orientation year.
Requirements to apply for orientation year visa
You have to meet the general requirements, which also apply for regular residence permits:
- Valid passport/travel document
- You are no danger to public order or national security: Appendix Antecedents Certificate must be filled in
- TB (tuberculosis test) after arrival: exceptions for certain nationalities, if you have a valid residence permit in the Netherlands and apply for a different one or if you took the test in the Netherlands within the last 6 months
- You held a residence permit in the Netherlands for research purposes or for working as a highly skilled migrant for research.
- You obtained a master’s degree within an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course in the past 3 years
- You completed one of the following studies in the past 3 years:
- bachelor’s or master’s degree programme at a Dutch higher education institution
- post-master’s programme in the Netherlands for at least 10 months
- a study programme in the Netherlands in the context of the Cultural Policy (Special-Purpose Funding) Act or development cooperation policy of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- master’s degree, doctoral programme or post-master’s programme at a designated foreign educational institution.
- A minimum score of 6.0 on the IELTS or another accepted English language test such as Cambridge English, TOEIC or TOEFL
- You did your master’s degree, doctoral programme or post-master’s programme in English or Dutch
