Cabinet seeks to put work at the centre sooner for newcomers
The cabinet wants to guide status holders and promising asylum seekers into work sooner and is expanding the Meedoenbalies for that purpose.
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According to the cabinet, work should become part of guidance for newcomers sooner and more prominently. The aim is to help an additional 75,000 status holders and promising asylum seekers into work over four years.
Minister Aartsen for Work and Participation presented the plan in June. The cabinet wants to put work at the centre of civic integration and involve employers in finding jobs, particularly in sectors facing staff shortages such as construction and healthcare.
The plans do not apply to everyone who comes to the Netherlands. They concern status holders and asylum seekers who are expected to be allowed to remain in the Netherlands. Different rules and restrictions apply to asylum seekers without a residence permit.
The government also wants to speed up access to work during the asylum procedure. At present, asylum seekers can in many cases work after six months if their application is still being processed and the employer has a work permit. The cabinet wants to reduce that waiting period to three months, but this is a policy intention and not a general rule for everyone.
The budgetary measures for 2027 state that the number of Meedoenbalies in asylum seekers’ centres will be expanded from forty to ninety. These desks are intended to help people find work and take part in other forms of participation. According to the central government, an additional €5 million is available for the expansion.
The government links the plan to both the labour market and integration. According to the cabinet, those who find work sooner can earn an income earlier, use the language in practice and build up contacts. Critics may counter that there are risks of displacement, inadequate guidance or work below someone’s level of education.
Implementation does not rest with central government alone. Municipalities, the COA, the UWV, employers and training providers must share information and find workplaces. The political question is therefore not only whether newcomers should work sooner, but also what conditions are needed to prevent speed from coming at the expense of language education, legal certainty and protection against exploitation.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The cabinet wants to help an additional 75,000 status holders and promising asylum seekers into work.
- According to the plan, work should play a more central role in civic integration.
- The waiting period for many asylum seekers who are allowed to work is currently six months.
- The number of Meedoenbalies will be expanded from forty to ninety.
Left
Arguments Starting work sooner can contribute to independence, but only if people are paid fairly, receive proper guidance and are not used as a source of cheap labour. Language education and protection against exploitation must remain equally important.
Values Equal opportunities, workers’ rights and social integration.
Consequences More supervision, training and tailored support are needed alongside access to work.
Centre
Arguments Early participation is practical and can help both newcomers and employers. Implementation must take account of the outcome of the asylum procedure and differences in education, language and health.
Values Pragmatism, feasibility and institutional care.
Consequences A phased approach with clear evaluation can combine work and civic integration.
Right
Arguments Those allowed to remain in the Netherlands should contribute as soon as possible and not remain unnecessarily dependent on benefits or reception accommodation. Work is an important condition for integration and can help reduce staff shortages.
Values Reciprocity, responsibility and economic participation.
Consequences Faster access to work and stronger expectations of newcomers should be prioritised.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The target, the Meedoenbalies and the existing work rules can be found in government sources. The text clearly distinguishes between existing rights and cabinet policy intentions.
- confirmed The cabinet wants to help an additional 75,000 status holders and promising asylum seekers into work over four years. — Mentioned in the cabinet announcement of 5 June 2026. source
- confirmed The cabinet wants to put work at the centre of civic integration. — Part of the same cabinet plan. source
- confirmed The number of Meedoenbalies will be expanded from 40 to 90 in 2027. — Mentioned in the SZW measures for Prinsjesdag 2026. source
- confirmed In many cases, asylum seekers may work after six months with a work permit. — Described on the current information page of the central government. source
- incorrect The waiting period is already being reduced to three months for everyone. — This is a cabinet policy intention, not the current general rule. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Asylum seekers can work from three months.Now: The cabinet wants to reduce the waiting period for asylum seekers who are allowed to work from six to three months; the existing general rule is six months. (The reduction is still a policy intention.)
Editor's note
The cabinet’s target concerns status holders and promising asylum seekers, not all immigrants. The reduction in the waiting period for asylum seekers is still a policy intention; the existing rules have therefore been described separately.Sources
- Kabinet wil in 4 jaar 75.000 meer nieuwkomers aan het werk helpen — Rijksoverheid
- Mogen asielzoekers werken? — Rijksoverheid
- Prinsjesdag 2026: maatregelen op het gebied van SZW — Rijksoverheid
- Antwoorden op vragen over het kabinetsplan om 75.000 asielzoekers aan het werk te helpen — Tweede Kamer
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „nieuwkomers asielzoekers”
- AD — „nieuwkomers asielzoekers”
- de Volkskrant — „nieuwkomers asielzoekers”