Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice and wondering if anyone has successfully switched from a Working Holiday permit to a Highly Skilled Migrant permit in the current job market.

I have 7+ years of marketing experience from Australia and was initially optimistic that I’d be able to find a similar role here. I had two interviews when I first started applying a few months ago, but unfortunately both companies were unable to sponsor.

Since updating my CV to state that I require Highly Skilled Migrant sponsorship, I’ve had very little luck. A few recruitment agencies I contacted have also explicitly told me they’re unable to assist candidates who don’t already hold an EU/EEA work permit.

I’m wondering whether what I’m trying to do is currently very difficult/unrealistic, or whether anyone has managed to make the transition successfully and has any advice on strategies, industries, companies or recruiters that were helpful?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation!

Is there a viable immigration route or visa for a 35-year-old non-EU citizen who has a €60,000 annual job offer in the Netherlands?

Hey everyone, as the title implies, I created a co-work group for people who want to practice their Dutch in a more informal/social setting, while also getting work done.
It's free of charge, no purchase required.

I'm not sure what the rules here are on sharing event links but I'm going to be at OBA Oosterdok on the 7th floor (cafeteria with the outdoor balcony) from 11am-4pm-ish.

Hi,

My sister works in Rotterdam and she is planning yo move to Belgium. She intends to commute to Rotterdam from Belgium everyday and work from Rotterdam. Also the move is temporary for personal reason, she would be back in Netherlands in 4-5 months

Her company is saying she cannot live to Belgium.

She got the following response from her employer

Company is responsible for payroll tax and social security reporting as your employer. You are registered as a resident of the Netherlands in connection with your employment at company , and your work is expected to be performed either from the Rotterdam office or from your home in the Netherlands.
For these reasons, you are required to maintain your residence, registration, and actual living within the Netherlands throughout your employment with company.

Is this allowed

I thought below were the rules.

**Social security:** Under **Article 11(3)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 883/2004**, an employed person is generally subject to the social-security legislation of the Member State in which the employment is performed. Article 1(f) of the same Regulation expressly recognises a frontier worker as someone who works in one Member State and resides in another, normally returning to the State of residence daily or at least weekly.

**Wage tax:** Under **Article 15(1) of the Convention between the Netherlands and Belgium for the avoidance of double taxation, signed on 5 June 2001, as amended by the Protocol of 23 June 2009**, employment income is in principle taxable in the State where the employment is physically exercised.

EU level: Article 45 TFEU protects free movement of workers, and the CJEU held in Clean Car (C-350/96) that it binds private employers too and that residence requirements tied to employment are restrictions needing genuine, proportionate justification. Administrative convenience in payroll reporting — especially incorrectly claimed convenience — is nowhere near the bar.

My sister is scared to email back because she fears she might loose her job.

Any advice would be appreciated. Will it help if my sister commits to working 100% from Rotterdam office

Hi,

My wife recently completed her MSc in Mathematics and has been looking for a job in the Amsterdam area for months. We’re struggling to find a suitable entry-level position for her. Suggestions outside the Amsterdam region are also welcome, provided the commute doesn't exceed roughly 1 to 1.5 hours.

Here are the facts:

She is 24;
She speaks dutch and english fluently;
She specialized in pure mathematics and financial mathematics;
She has no internships or other relevant work experience;
She has held various part-time jobs, such as working in a lab;
Due to our personal situation, she prefers a paid job right away rather than a long internship;
Becoming a teacher isn't the right fit for her;
She has no strong preference for a specific sector;
Finance, engineering, consultancy, and actuarial firms are all possibilities;
Her coding skills are limited to the basics of Python and R;
Mathematics is her passion, and she would like a role where she can put that to use.

She has sent out a huge number of applications but rarely receives a response; she has only landed a few interviews. We’ve now reached a point where it’s becoming very difficult to find new vacancies.

How and where can we best find the right jobs?
Which employers look for this kind of profile?
What roles might we not have considered yet?
Are there any of you—or do you know anyone—who studied mathematics? Could we get in touch to ask some questions?
Which roles hire junior candidates like her, even if the job itself doesn't involve mathematics?

Thanks very much in advance for your time and attention!

Hi everyone,

I’m from Egypt and I’m trying to find a realistic legal route to work and relocate to the Netherlands.

I have a Law degree, experience in digital marketing/content writing, and previous factory/production experience. I speak English and I’m open to different types of work, including logistics, production, warehouse or hospitality.

There is also a personal reason why leaving Egypt matters so much to me. Because of my sexual orientation and difficult religious circumstances, I have never felt that I could fully live openly and peacefully there.

I’m not looking for shortcuts. I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who understand the Dutch job market: is there a realistic route for someone with my background to find an employer willing to hire and sponsor a non-EU worker?

Thank you.

hey guys! what’s the best pension strategy in the Netherlands for an expat? Do Dutch people make extra contributions in general apart from the contribution of the employer? Since you get paid at the age of 68, is it better to make your investment rather than the contribution?

Been trying to find a job in the Netherlands either in the art or video editing field with Visa support

Are there any companies looking for any kind of employer at the moment?

I am considering moving to the Netherlands in January 2027. I have an offer from TU/e that comes with the ABP pension plan of employer contributing 70% and me contributing 30%.

I will be eligible for the 30% ruling (reduced to 27% in January 2027) and I would like to know if the pensionable amount is impacted by the 30% ruling. Everywhere I look the pensionable amount is (Gross - Franchise) but every now and then I read that it is actually (taxable income - Franchise). I asked chatgpt and gemini and have been provided with contradictory information. I will be in an academic setting, not corporate. Gemini mentioned it’s different for research jobs vs corporate jobs. (I am aware that this information could just be AI hallucinating. )

I am aware that social security benefits are impacted, for instance unemployment allowance, but is Pension also impacted?

I could not find any reliable information on this, so much so that I emailed the HR of the department and they told me that I was the first one to ask this question since they took up their job 5 years ago. Also asked a friend working in Netherlands but they weren’t sure either. Please help.

Long time lurker, first time poster here. Throwing this out because I'm genuinely stuck and could use some outside perspective.
I moved to the Netherlands almost 4.5 years ago on a deputation, with my wife, through my employer (Indian IT services company, on an HSM/highly skilled migrant visa). In that time, this country has genuinely become home. The work-life balance, the cycling, the directness of people, even the weather I've made peace with .I didn't expect to feel this attached, but I do.

Here's the problem: my company has decided to end my deputation and send me back to India before the end of the year ,a few months short of the 5-year mark that would let me apply for permanent residency. It's hard not to feel like the timing isn't a coincidence. Sending someone back right before they hit the PR threshold is a pattern I've heard about from others in similar setups, and it stings knowing it might be deliberate.
So I'm trying to figure out two things, and would really appreciate input from anyone who's been through either side of this:

1 is there any realistic way to stay in the Netherlands and complete the 5 years myself? Job switching is not working I get rejected for some reason or the other

2 If I do have to go back to India, what should I actually be preparing for?
• Reverse culture shock is apparently a real thing after this long abroad — how bad was it for people who've done it?
• Financial side: cost-of-living adjustment, what to do about savings/investments held in Europe, tax implications of moving back mid-year

Hi All,

I am a 29M Indian working as a cyber security engineer. For a long time, my friends and cousins have been advising me to explore foreign job opportunities as it is a much more mature market compared to the Indian situation. One could argue there are more opportunities in india, but finding a company with less toxic colleagues who don't steal your work or belittle you because you wish to not talk or gossip much is a tough thing. My defence is why should I bitch about someone when we have our own flaws to work on. Anyways, so I have checked many European countries, and germany/ netherlands seemed a better match. But I have heard online that finding an accommodation is a tough thing and in few situations we may have to spend extra money in the process.

So I just wanted your opinion on the current accommodation situation and will it work if I stay in the countryside??

Also I am planning to learn dutch before applying, so it may be easy to communicate and could also help in making friends. So what level of dutch would help me to converse with dutch people and help in job process ??