Verlenging naturalisatietermijnen

Reactie

Vraag1

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my strong concerns and fundamental opposition to the proposal to extend the naturalization period from five to ten years.

This plan sends the wrong message. It is unnecessarily harsh and does not solve any real problem. There is no evidence that people are better integrated after ten years than after five. On the contrary, it punishes exactly those who are doing well: people who work, pay taxes, learn Dutch, and raise their children here. By prolonging their waiting period, the government is treating them as second-class residents for much longer, undermining their motivation instead of supporting their integration.

For me and many others, this is not an abstract discussion. We have studied, worked, paid taxes, bought homes, and built our lives here. Our children go to Dutch schools, speak Dutch, and are growing up as part of Dutch society. I myself work in Dutch, participate actively in society, and have fully tied my future to this country. I have respected all the rules, even at personal cost—never leaving the Netherlands for longer than three months so as not to risk my residency.

The five-year path to citizenship gave us hope and motivation. Doubling it to ten years now disregards all our efforts and sacrifices. It creates uncertainty once again, leaving us without political rights and the security that citizenship provides. This feels like moving the goalposts after we have already invested years of our lives here in good faith.

If the true concern is integration, then the focus should be on higher standards, not longer waiting. Requiring stronger language skills or a more rigorous civic integration exam would be a fairer and more effective way to test commitment than simply making people wait longer.

This proposal also has negative consequences for the Netherlands itself:

It discourages people who want to integrate and contribute, by leaving them in legal uncertainty for ten years.

It makes the Netherlands less attractive to skilled migrants and international talent, weakening its competitive position.

It creates inequality and discouragement: people who have given up everything to build their future here are penalized instead of supported.

For these reasons, I urge the government to withdraw this proposal and maintain the five-year deadline. At the very least, there must be a fair transitional arrangement for those who have already built their lives here under the existing rules.