Soon, students will be paying six hundred euro instead of 438 for their entry visa and residence permit. A one-year extension won’t be 52 euro, but 150. A similar increase awaits scientists: currently 338 euro, an entry visa and residence permit will soon be 650 euro. Extension costs will also be increasing by almost a hundred euro, to 375 euro.

It’s rushed and unwise, say students and universities in a collective press release. After all, it’s impossible to inform student about the increase in costs in a matter of days. The students have already been informed about the current rates, and some of them have even paid. “This type of unseemly government is extremely harmful to the reputation of Dutch institutions.”

According to the department, the new rates will cover the expenses of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND), but the institutions don’t buy that: “In the past years, higher education has taken on ever more tasks originally meant for the IND.”

For a ‘highly-skilled migrant’ who works at a company and thus contributes to the knowledge economy, the costs for the first visa application and residence permit remain the same: 938 euro. The government is still distinguishing between knowledge workers and scientists. In his letter, Leers says: “I wish to remind you that ACVZ’s advice ‘Fees for (labor) migration to the Netherlands’ of May 2008 did not prove the rates at that time to be in any way hindering the immigration of highly-skilled and labor workers to the Netherlands”.

Still, the advisory board ACVZ concluded the rates were rather high compared to other countries. The advisors recommended reduced fees. “Said reduction will send the message that the Netherlands has adopted a very welcoming policy towards desired migrants.” (HOP)