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Orientation year for highly educated persons: how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it leads to permanent residence
Post-study work
One-year job-search permit — not a PR route
One-year type I temporary regular permit to look for work or start a business after a qualifying Dutch bachelor or master, a designated foreign master/PhD, or qualifying research. Cannot be extended. Temporary purpose: not a route to permanent residence by itself.
Source: Immigration and Naturalisation Service · verified 2026-08-15
We tell you when we re-read a route you follow, in the note from that check, with the official link.
Does Orientation year for highly educated persons lead to permanent residence?
- Residency
Temporary — not a permanent-residence route on its own
Source: Immigration and Naturalisation Service · verified 2026-08-15
Do you need a job offer for Orientation year for highly educated persons?
- Job offer
Not stated
The verified record does not state whether a job offer is required. Absence of the field is not a no — check the official source below.
Source: Immigration and Naturalisation Service · verified 2026-08-15
How much does Orientation year for highly educated persons cost to apply for?
- Application fee
EUR 254
Voorschrift Vreemdelingen 2000 article 3.34, amounts valid 1 January 2026 through 31 December 2026: EUR 254 to grant 'het zoeken en verrichten van arbeid al dan niet in loondienst'. Extension is not applicable. Turkish nationals pay EUR 85. San Marino and Israel are free for the TEV/MVV procedure.
Source: Minister of Asylum and Migration (Staatscourant) · verified 2026-08-15
How long does Orientation year for highly educated persons take to process?
- Processing time
No duration published; the authority points to a guidance tool
Open the authority's page for this fact
Source: Immigration and Naturalisation Service · verified 2026-08-15
What does Immigration and Naturalisation Service actually require?
Quoted from the pages named beside each rule, not paraphrased.
- Language
A language test is published only for graduates of a designated foreign institution: IELTS minimum 6.0 (Academic or General Training), or another accepted English test listed in the Code of Conduct for International Students, or a civic-integration document, or the master’s / doctoral / post-master’s programme was in English or Dutch. Dutch graduates and qualifying researchers are not asked for this test on the orientation-year page.
Source: Immigration and Naturalisation Service · verified 2026-08-15
What Immigration and Naturalisation Service does not publish
We checked for each of these and the page carried no figure. The absence is recorded with the reason, so this page states nothing the authority does not.
Processing time
Coming to work brochure: 'If the application is complete, the IND will usually decide within 2 weeks. The procedure can last up to a maximum of 90 days.' The 90 days is a statutory maximum, not an expected wait. No month range is stored.
Source: Immigration and Naturalisation Service · verified 2026-08-15
Minimum education
Dutch path accepts an accredited bachelor’s or master’s (or a post-master of at least 10 months, or a Dutch PhD). Foreign designated-institution path requires a master’s, doctoral or post-master’s programme, not a foreign bachelor. Previous stored value 'master' was too narrow for Dutch graduates and too high as a single enum, and has been removed.
Not yet verified against an official source
How it works
- 1Apply yourself after a qualifying Dutch degree, designated foreign master/PhD, or qualifying research.
- 2After a job you switch to another title; this permit cannot be extended.
What changed when we last checked this record
Route is open. You apply yourself; no sponsor. Valid 1 year and cannot be extended. Temporary purpose on the IND temporary/non-temporary list, so you cannot apply for permanent residence on this permit. After a job you switch to another title such as highly skilled migrant, start-up or self-employed. Previous stored age 18, master-only minimum, USD 350 fee, 1–2 month processing, and 60-month PR pathway were unsourced or contradicted and have been removed.
Source: Immigration and Naturalisation Service · verified 2026-08-15
Other verified Netherlands routes
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Official sources
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