Orientation year visa is a temporary Dutch residence permit for highly educated people, who recently graduated from university and are willing to look for a job in the Netherlands.
How to get this visa?
You must meet the official criteria of the Dutch immigration service (IND). The most common case is when you have graduated from your master’s degree or higher in the past 3 years, your university is listed in the top-200 of the rankings and you speak English. At this step you should thoroughly check the IND’s website
It contains precise requirements and links to the ratings, where you can check your university.
While checking your university through the ranking lists, keep in mind that it can be listed not only in overall ratings, but also in subject ones. Don’t forget to use the ratings, related to the year of your graduation.
Process
The first thing you will need to do is to translate your diploma and evaluate it by the Nuffic (Dutch education authority). Keep in mind that this process might take up to 2 months.
The second thing you might need to do is to obtain an official certificate of the knowledge of the English language. IND requires you to have at least 6/9 score at IELTS or equal in other scoring systems. Preparation for such exams, taking them and waiting for the results also takes some time and effort.
And the third thing you will need to do is to make an appointment to the Dutch embassy to apply for a visa. Some embassies have long queues, so we advise you to book an appointment beforehand. Once applied, your application will be registered and you can send your documents to IND.
Collect all the requested documents that prove your eligibility to get the visa and send them to the IND’s email. At this point you will also need to pay an application fee.
Your application will be handled within 90 days. Keep an eye on your email: IND might request any additional documents or just has questions to clarify. Don’t worry if you will not get any response until the 90th day – IND might have a large backlog of applications.
If your application is approved, you will have to go to the Dutch embassy one more time to get your visa sticker to travel to the Netherlands. You must do it within 90 days after receiving a positive decision. You might also book an embassy appointment beforehand. The visa itself is valid for another 90 days, so it gives you a possibility to prepare for your trip for up to 180 days. You can use this time to find a job and accommodation.
After arriving in the Netherlands, you only need to collect your residence permit and then register in a local municipality.
What can you do with this type of visa?
Firstly, you can stay in the Netherlands for the whole year.
Secondly, you will be able to officially work in the country without any restrictions – the employer is not obligated to make any additional documents to hire you and you don’t have to meet minimum salary criteria.
Thirdly, with such type of visa your minimum salary threshold for a High Skilled Migrant visa is permanently lowered (2800 EUR/month gross instead of 3900 or 5300, if you are older than 30). As these thresholds constantly rise, check them here
The general purpose of this visa is to attract highly educated people in a country. The government lets such people arrive in the Netherlands and live there while they are looking for a job. The reduced income requirement also helps such people to immigrate.
You might use this visa either to spend a year in some internships or to facilitate your immigration process.