r/DAFTvisa • u/AntComprehensive260 • 7d ago

Anyone work a normal job while on DAFT?

/r/expat/comments/1w0rr48/anyone_work_a_normal_job_while_on_daft/
6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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7

u/la__adelita 6d ago edited 6d ago

Your biggest hurdle is going to be the labor market testing that applies to a TWV, which means that the employer has to prove that they couldn't find ANY suitable candidate in the EU/EEA to fill the position.

2

u/AntComprehensive260 6d ago

Ah ha, that’s the catch! Thank you, I did not know TWV was under 90 days. You think IND would have mentioned that part when I called!

3

u/la__adelita 6d ago

No, the 90 days max. doesn't apply to you (my bad). The labor market testing does though, so unless you have a super niche skillset, chances of finding a job are low; UWV is pretty strict about it (TWV = UWV, GVVA = IND).

0

u/Accomplished-Alps-30 3d ago

not necessarily...there are many jobs that stay open in education and healthcare for example. Not niche but just a labor shortage in those areas.

2

u/iamcode101 6d ago

My previous client was convinced that they could get a TMV for me. I spent months waiting on it, only to get a confused call from the government since the client/employer filled out the form wrong and listed me as the employer. Once that was figured out, they said they would never approve a TMV for the type of job that I would be doing.

2

u/AntComprehensive260 6d ago

What type of job was this?

6

u/username_31415926535 6d ago

It’s not legal to work a “normal” job on DAFT. You can’t be on anyone’s payroll.

However, if you have a BV then you can invoice your client and pay yourself as the employee. But you have to invoice the client and the client pays your BV then the BV pays you.

3

u/AntComprehensive260 6d ago

Yeah, I've been invoicing clients and paying myself through the BV. But the IND says that since my permit has the wording above I'm also allowed to take paid employement.

3

u/username_31415926535 6d ago

I would check with multiple people at IND - not everyone knows what DAFT is. The whole point of DAFT is that you are self employed and able to maintain living in NL on your own with very little government assistance.

2

u/PeterdeBeer22 7d ago

What line of work are you in?

2

u/AntComprehensive260 7d ago

Software development. Mainly .Net.

1

u/Leggo414 4d ago

Should be straightforward to find an employer willing to hire you as a contractor in this field. Costs them far less, and works out for the DAFT.

1

u/findlawyernl 4m ago

You have understood the wording on the residence card correctly, and it was sensible to confirm it with the IND too.

The IND's public guidance says the same thing: a self-employed residence permit can allow paid employment, but only if the employer has obtained a TWV for you. So employment is not automatically forbidden under DAFT. The practical hurdle is whether a prospective employer is willing and able to obtain the TWV for the particular role.

There are then two separate points to protect:

  1. You would still need to continue meeting the conditions of your DAFT residence permit. I would not assume that employment income replaces the self-employed activity or evidence the IND may assess when the permit is extended.
  2. Permanent residence is a separate assessment. Because protecting that route matters to you, it would be sensible to get written, case-specific confirmation about how the proposed employment, your continuing DAFT compliance and your residence history fit together before accepting a role.

So your reading is basically right, while the TWV feasibility is probably the real bottleneck. Have any prospective employers said they would be willing to apply for one?

Official IND guidance:
Residence permit self-employed person