In the Netherlands the highly skilled migrant arrangement has been applicable since 2004 to attract specialist international personnel. This arrangement works well for most larger companies, but does not fit well with the startups in the growth phase due to the limited turnover in the start-up phase.

In a letter to the House of Representatives on 31th of May, 2021, Minister Koolmees of Social Affairs and Employment, also on behalf of State Secretary Keijzer of Economic Affairs and Climate and State Secretary Broekers-Knol of Justice and Security, wrote that the Dutch cabinet is starting a pilot in the form of a residence arrangement that will make it easier for innovative start-ups to recruit staff with sought-after expertise from abroad in order to meet the demand for such personnel.

A reduced salary criterion, supplemented by a so-called compulsory employee participation such as shares applies to the new residence arrangement. In this way, start-ups are better able to attract and retain personnel that are essential for the growth of the company from abroad. This new pilot will start on 1 June 2021. The pilot will run for four years and will be evaluated in the interim.

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References:

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2021/05/31/pilot-helpt-startups-essentieel-personeel-uit-het-buitenland-aan-te-trekken

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2021/05/31/kamerbrief-wijziging-buwav-essentieel-personeel-startups

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