Netherlands plans longer integration deadlines for working refugees

The Dutch government plans to give working refugees with residence permits longer to complete their integration courses, allowing up to three extra years in some cases. The change is due to take effect in 2027 and is intended to make employment easier to combine with compulsory lessons.

Under the proposal, participants must work or have worked at least 28 hours a week to qualify. The extension would be based on individual circumstances, the government said. The current integration deadline is three years.

Employment minister Thierry Aartsen said work should become the norm during integration. He argued that workplaces expose newcomers to Dutch language and customs, while the clash between work schedules and lessons can make it difficult for some to take jobs.

The government also plans an extension of up to one year for parents who cannot keep up with integration because they are caring for young children and no childcare is available. The government says this would mainly affect women.

Its broader ambition is to have 75,000 more newcomers in work in four years. Aartsen and asylum and migration minister David van den Brink have launched a programme focused on work and language in asylum reception, agreements with employers and making employment a central part of the asylum and integration system.