Verlenging naturalisatietermijnen

Reactie

Vraag1

As a highly skilled migrant currently living and working in the Netherlands, I would like to express my strong opposition to the recent proposal to extend the number of years required to obtain permanent residency or citizenship.

While I understand the need for consistent immigration policies, I firmly believe that a policy must be made differently towards to highly skilled migrants who were invited to contribute to the Dutch economy and society.

As a contributor to the Dutch workforce and economy, I feel this policy change would send the wrong signal to current and future highly skilled professionals.

1. Global Talent Competitiveness:
Extending the residency requirement will weaken the Netherlands' competitiveness in attracting global talent. Highly skilled professionals may choose countries with more welcoming and stable immigration policies, such as Germany, Canada, or the Nordic countries.

2. Recognized Contributions of Highly Skilled Migrants
Highly skilled migrants legally pay taxes, create jobs, and support technological innovation and economic growth in the Netherlands. Their clear and ongoing contributions should be reflected in fair and supportive residency pathways.

3. Importance of Policy Stability:
Frequent changes to immigration rules create uncertainty and diminish trust in the Dutch system. For professionals who plan their careers and lives around existing policies, such instability can be highly disruptive and discouraging.

4. One-Size-Fits-All Policy Is Unfair:
Refugees, post-colonial immigrants, and highly skilled migrants come to the Netherlands under very different circumstances and with different motivations. Applying the same rules to all groups fails to recognize these differences and undermines the principle of fairness.

5. Barriers to Social Integration
Prolonging the path to permanent residency or citizenship delays full participation in Dutch society — including the ability to vote, purchase property, and build long-term community ties. This could hinder integration rather than promote it.

6. Contradiction with EU Principles
The proposed extension may conflict with broader EU goals of facilitating the free movement of labor and attracting international talent to support economic growth across member states.

I respectfully urge the government to reconsider this approach and ensure that policies remain balanced, fair, and competitive in the global race for talent.