How to get wife to the Netherlands if I get a job? I have EU passport

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Some disjointed thoughts from me.  MVV can take up to 90 days (as you said).  She could accompany you on a 90-day tourist visa but would have to leave again to go through MVV because the only people who can apply from within Holland are those who are already there on a valid residence permit (i.e. someone in Holland on an individual work visa who meets and marries a Dutch citizen), so are already registered with a BSN and have an active DigiD account (a tourist visa doesn't qualify because she won't be registered with the Gemeente).

If you already have a recent Dutch passport, you will have a BSN number, but it won't be active unless you've been there and registered with the Gemeente, so you can't apply for her until you do and get your own DigiD.

So, I don't think you can do it; the IND has a website with their contact details, my advice is to contact them and see if there is a way around it.

One short comment on long-range job finding in Holland.  Unless you have a very unique skill that is in demand and they can't fill it with a local person, then the moment the agency/employer realises you don't speak Dutch and/or can't start work tomorrow morning, they will lose interest in you very quickly, you certainly won't get an employment contract.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi Cynic,

Thanks very much for your reply. I will take your advice to heart and contact the IND directly or perhaps go see an emigration lawyer for advice.

I have completed the CNaVT Dutch language course on B1 level which seems to help but not much, it could help me to integrate easier. I have had a few telephonic Q&A's/ interviews in the last few weeks, I work in construction finance.  Basically the stumbling block for me is the fact that I can only start work once I have a MVV for my wife which takes quite long to get. If there was a faster route, I would have been able to accept a job offer already.

Thanks again.

R

Hi again,

Once your wife has been granted her MVV, it's only valid for the next 90 days; so you basically have 3 months from the date of issue to move to Holland; if not she has to re-apply.  Once there, her initial residence permit will be for 2 years, but as she's married to a Dutch citizen, it will be no problem in extending after that point.  My advice is that if your mind is absolutely made up that the Netherlands is your future, then move; start saving now to have enough to tide you over for a few months till you find some work.

If you want to know about the cost of living in Holland, the Numbeo website can help you there; this link will take you there (I've set it for Den Haag, you can change the city though; the costs reflect the last 18 months, so will be a bit behind the curve, but are about the best there is available.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi Cynic,

Thank you very much for the additional information.

I refer to your sentence: "My advice is that if your mind is absolutely made up that the Netherlands is your future, then move; start saving now to have enough to tide you over for a few months till you find some work".
I don't think this will be possible. I made contact with the IND yesterday and was told that the only way for my wife to go to the Netherlands at the same time as me, is if I apply for the MVV from outside the Netherlands, after having a job contract from a Dutch employer to prove sustainable income. If we go to the Netherlands with more than enough money live for whichever duration of time while we look for work, my wife would still need to leave the Netherlands and apply for the MVV at the Dutch consulate / embassy in our home country.

Please let me know if you agree or if you are aware of another scenario that we can have a look at.

Thanks for you help.

R

Hi again.

I think you may have misunderstood me; when I said: "My advice is that if your mind is absolutely made up that the Netherlands is your future, then move; start saving now to have enough to tide you over for a few months till you find some work."  I meant you as in you, not you both.

Any chance that your wife would qualify for a visa in her own right (i.e. a work visa)?

Check the "Belgium route " if this might work for you. Lots of people doing this already as it less a hustle and time consuming.
In short: you need to work and live in Belgium for a certain time to get residency. You can choose to live in Belgium and work in the Netherlands close to the border.

Primadonna, that is a really interesting way of going about it and will surely check it out, thank very much for the info

Cynic, my apologies it was a misunderstanding. Yes she is able to qualify for a works Visa. She is currently waiting for Dutch Civic Integration Exam results, thereafter she will also look for work.
The process for her to get a job in the Netherlands and apply for a work Visa, will have the same time duration as the process of applying for a MVV. This is why I am researching all routes to have the best possible idea of how I can make it work!

I really appreciate your help and feedback.

I'll let you guys know should we succeed.

Thanks

R

OK - so you know; there are 2 different types of work visas, the normal one, plus the skilled migrant one.  The normal one will take the routine 90 days (ish), the skilled migrant one can be blindingly quick - we've had guys and girls on here tell us they got theirs in 7 days!!!

Thanks Cynic, yes I am aware of this. Hopefully she can get a job at one of the approved companies on the public register allowed to bring in highly skilled migrants, and is offered a salary that is high enough to qualify for it!
She is writing the CNaVT B1 level language exam in mid May, so we will try to get our timing correctly.
Hopefully with a stroke of luck with a stoke of luck we can make it happen

One more question please, maybe you have come across this before... 

The spouse of a highly skilled migrant may also use the accelerated Visa procedure.

As I am an EU national and not a migrant, how does this affect the option to use the accelerated procedure for my spouses Visa?

Hi again,

I wouldn't put it quite like that; the spouse of a highly skilled migrant may also use the accelerated visa procedure if her husband's new employer remembers to submit her application at the same time; they (employers) normally outsource this activity to law firms, who are not necessarily aware of the new employees marital status and by the time they find out, it's too late, the single visa has entered the system.

By definition, you can't use the skilled migrant route, but your wife can if she can find a job that qualifies (i.e. pays enough and is a skill that has been deemed as being in short supply in the Netherlands).  If you like, you'd be moving to Holland under her auspices, just you don't need a visa.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi Cynic,

I agree and thanks again for your advice.

R