Slow progress on finding homes for EU labour migrants
11 years, 6 months ago

Slow progress on finding homes for EU labour migrants

Dutch News  

The Netherlands is making slow progress in organising up to 31,000 places for labour migrants from central and eastern Europe to live over the next five years, housing minister Stef Blok said in a briefing to parliament on Tuesday. Some local councils, investors and employers are finding it difficult to take steps to ensure proper provision of accommodation because of resistance from locals, the minister said in the briefing. In the district of Holland Rijnland, which includes Leiden, ‘it would appear the councils want the benefits of labour migration but don’t want to carry the costs,’ Blok said. Blok instigated a formal process to ensure proper housing is provided for people moving temporarily to the Netherlands following concerns about sub-standard accommodation and rip-off landlords.

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History of this topic

Refugees face longer waits for housing, settlement agency warns
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Refugees face longer waits for housing, settlement agency warns

Dutch News  

Plans to stop giving refugees with residency permits priority for social housing will have “worrying consequences” as waiting times increase and they remain stuck in government-run centres, refugee settlement agency COA said on Friday. Housing minister Mona Keijzer said in February that she plans to stop councils giving priority to refugees, who are supposed to move into regular housing within …

Dutch gov't taking steady action to discourage expats from coming to Netherlands
1 month, 1 week ago

Dutch gov't taking steady action to discourage expats from coming to Netherlands

NL Times  

The Dutch government is steadily and relatively quietly taking action to reduce labor- and knowledge migration. So far, Van Hijum has given the Labor Inspectorate greater mandate to tackle employers abusing expat and migrant worker regulations, he is investigating the meat sector where many migrant workers work, and he is working on a bill to ban rogue employment agencies from …

Dutch gov't scraps refugee priority for social housing
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Dutch gov't scraps refugee priority for social housing

NL Times  

Housing Minister Mona Keijzer is ready to submit her bill that would ban municipalities from giving refugees priority for social housing, insiders told the Telegraaf. Municipalities are currently allowed to give refugees priority on the waiting lists for social housing. Refugees can still register for social housing, they’ll just end up on the waiting list with everyone else. She is …

Labour migrants have jobs, housing is the problem: CNV
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Labour migrants have jobs, housing is the problem: CNV

Dutch News  

Urgent action needs to be taken to tackle the number of foreign workers who are ending up living on the streets in the Netherlands, according to the CNV trade union federation and the Salvation Army. “In Eindhoven, 60% found another job within nine days and 20% opted to go back home,” Salvation Army chief Harm Slomp told the Telegraaf. The …

Zuid-Holland warns 8 municipalities: Arrange asylum shelter, or we'll do it for you
2 months ago

Zuid-Holland warns 8 municipalities: Arrange asylum shelter, or we'll do it for you

NL Times  

The province of Zuid-Holland has given eight municipalities, including The Hague and Leiden, a warning that if they do not house enough refugees with a temporary residence permit, then the province will do it for them and charge them for it. The government decides every six months how many residency permit holders need to be given shelter. The Hague was …

Undocumented migrant workers coming to Netherlands from further abroad
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Undocumented migrant workers coming to Netherlands from further abroad

NL Times  

The number of people working in the Netherlands without a permit is still increasing and they are increasingly coming from further away, the Labor Inspectorate told NOS. “You can actually see that the number of migrant workers is starting to run out,” Marijke Kaptein of the Inspectorate told NOS. Then you get all kinds of models to bring people from …

Many councils are failing to meet the 30% social housing pledge
4 months ago

Many councils are failing to meet the 30% social housing pledge

Dutch News  

Housing corporations built no new property in 34 of the Netherlands’ 342 local council areas between 2020 and 2023, despite government commitments to increasing the supply of affordable housing, Trouw reported on Tuesday. In 108 council areas, housing corporations built just 10% or less of the new homes and in 34 they built none at all, even though they added …

"Stop inciting foreigner hatred": UN housing rapporteur
1 year ago

"Stop inciting foreigner hatred": UN housing rapporteur

Dutch News  

The UN special rapporteur on the right to housing has called for urgent measures to guarantee this right in the Netherlands, warning that decades of government policy rather than immigrants are the cause of the “acute housing crisis”. “Alternative narrative”: it’s the foreigners “Rather than posing a competition to Dutch nationals when it comes to access to adequate housing, these …

Dutch election candidates make migration a key campaign issue in the crowded Netherlands
1 year, 4 months ago

Dutch election candidates make migration a key campaign issue in the crowded Netherlands

Associated Press  

TER APEL, Netherlands — It is a familiar sight in this remote rural town: a migrant in a headscarf and thick winter coat carrying her belongings to the overcrowded reception center as a storm brews over the flat landscape. Tapper said he plans to vote for anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party which advocates a halt in asylum seekers and …

Dutch election candidates make migration a key campaign issue in the crowded Netherlands
1 year, 4 months ago

Dutch election candidates make migration a key campaign issue in the crowded Netherlands

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Tapper said he plans to vote for anti-Islam lawmaker Geert …

One in five Dutch live in a home that doesn't match their income, lifestyle
1 year, 5 months ago

One in five Dutch live in a home that doesn't match their income, lifestyle

NL Times  

One in five Netherlands residents does not live in a home that matches their income and stage of life, according to a study that I&O Research conducted for Aedes, the association for housing corporations. A small proportion of people who say they do not live in a suitable home indicate they are not looking for another home because it wouldn’t …

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer
1 year, 6 months ago

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer

Dutch News  

Controversial legislation to ensure all local authorities have to provide a certain number of beds for refugees will now pass in the lower house parliament because a majority of MPs are in favour. Research published by RTL Nieuws a year ago showed that more than half of Dutch local councils have not provided any housing for refugees in the past …

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer
1 year, 6 months ago

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer

Dutch News  

Controversial legislation to ensure all local authorities have to provide a certain number of beds for refugees will now pass in the lower house parliament because a majority of MPs are in favour. Research published by RTL Nieuws a year ago showed that more than half of Dutch local councils have not provided any housing for refugees in the past …

Do more to tackle housing shortage, European Commission tells Netherlands
1 year, 10 months ago

Do more to tackle housing shortage, European Commission tells Netherlands

NL Times  

The Netherlands needs to do more to tackle its housing shortage, the European Commission said in its annual advice to member states. There are too many obstacles holding back investments in housing constructions, and the Dutch government is far from reaching its targets, the Commission said. “The private rental market is relatively small, which results in a limited supply of …

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees
2 years, 5 months ago

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees

Dutch News  

Junior justice minister Eric van der Burg has made yet another urgent appeal to local councils to come up with beds for refugees – this time for 1,700 places for youngsters who have travelled to the Netherlands without their parents. ‘I would ask you all, as a matter of real urgency, to prevent us reaching an absolute low point,’ Van …

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees
2 years, 5 months ago

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees

Dutch News  

Junior justice minister Eric van der Burg has made yet another urgent appeal to local councils to come up with beds for refugees – this time for 1,700 places for youngsters who have travelled to the Netherlands without their parents. ‘I would ask you all, as a matter of real urgency, to prevent us reaching an absolute low point,’ Van …

‘People who come here to work should be treated like the Dutch,’ says minister
2 years, 9 months ago

‘People who come here to work should be treated like the Dutch,’ says minister

Dutch News  

A large part of the Dutch economy relies on seasonal workers from abroad, and companies in labour intensive industries will have to innovate to make up for the shortfall in staff, social affairs minister Karien van Gennip has told the AD in an interview. ‘We have around 500,000 seasonal workers in the Netherlands at any one time, around 800,000 to …

The new government has plans to get the housing market moving
2 years, 11 months ago

The new government has plans to get the housing market moving

Dutch News  

Plenty of things have been happening on the housing market since the start of the year, when the Netherlands got a new government. Investors Local councils have already been taking action to try to loosen the grip of the private sector on the housing market – for example by stopping investors buying up cheaper homes and renting them out. The …

Dutch step up preparations for Ukrainian refugees
3 years ago

Dutch step up preparations for Ukrainian refugees

Dutch News  

The government has invoked national crisis legislation to force local authorities to organise accommodation for Ukrainian refugees by Friday. Local mayors must also ensure that they register the newcomers and provide them with money to live on, education and healthcare, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg said after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine. ‘In practice …

Dutch step up preparations for Ukrainian refugees
3 years ago

Dutch step up preparations for Ukrainian refugees

Dutch News  

The government has invoked national crisis legislation to force local authorities to organise accommodation for Ukrainian refugees by Friday. Local mayors must also ensure that they register the newcomers and provide them with money to live on, education and healthcare, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg said after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine. ‘In practice …

'Spread expats outside Amsterdam,' provincial councillor says
3 years, 3 months ago

'Spread expats outside Amsterdam,' provincial councillor says

Dutch News  

Efforts need to be made to ‘spread’ international workers across Noord Holland province to ease the pressure on Amsterdam’s housing market, a D66 provincial councillor has told the Parool. Mulder’s comments were made in response to an ongoing debate about the ‘internationalisation’ of Amsterdam and whether the presence of internationals, particularly those who work outside the city, influences the housing …

'Spread expats outside Amsterdam,' provincial councillor says
3 years, 3 months ago

'Spread expats outside Amsterdam,' provincial councillor says

Dutch News  

Efforts need to be made to ‘spread’ international workers across Noord Holland province to ease the pressure on Amsterdam’s housing market, a D66 provincial councillor has told the Parool. Mulder’s comments were made in response to an ongoing debate about the ‘internationalisation’ of Amsterdam and whether the presence of internationals, particularly those who work outside the city, influences the housing …

Netherlands reveals plans for 150,000 more social housing units
4 years, 6 months ago

Netherlands reveals plans for 150,000 more social housing units

NL Times  

Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs, the association of Dutch municipalities VNG, and the association for housing corporations Aedes agreed to work together to accelerate the construction of 150 thousand social rental homes. The parties also agreed to build 10 thousand flexible homes in the next two years, and to stimulate the construction of mid-market rentals and cheap owner-occupied homes. …

Dutch gov't, municipalities must do more to fight homelessness: Advisory council
4 years, 11 months ago

Dutch gov't, municipalities must do more to fight homelessness: Advisory council

NL Times  

The Dutch State and municipalities are not doing enough to tackle homelessness, the council for public health and society RVS said in a report titled 'Recovery begins with a home' presented to State Secretary Paul Blokhuis of Public Health on Tuesday. Last year Statistics Netherlands reported that the number of homeless people in the Netherlands more than doubled from 17,800 …

Looking to buy a house the Netherlands in 2020? Here are some suggestions
5 years, 3 months ago

Looking to buy a house the Netherlands in 2020? Here are some suggestions

Dutch News  

Mortgage interest rates are still at a record low, so if you have not yet taken the plunge and bought a home in the Netherlands, here are some suggestions of where to go, courtesy of Expat Mortgages. This neighbourly spirit, as well as charming old buildings, quiet canals and excellent transport links are all reasons why the university town of …

Dutch housing for asylum seekers overcrowded
5 years, 5 months ago

Dutch housing for asylum seekers overcrowded

NL Times  

The reception centers for asylum seekers in the Netherlands are currently filled to bursting, the central agency for the reception of asylum seekers COA said on Thursday. This means that protected housing for members of the LGBTQ community will soon have to be used for heterosexual asylum seekers, the COA said. In the first three quarters of this year, 16,530 …

Netherlands needs 50,000 foreign workers a year to keep economy running
6 years, 1 month ago

Netherlands needs 50,000 foreign workers a year to keep economy running

Dutch News  

The Netherlands needs to attract 50,000 foreign workers a year from the rest of the European Union to make up for shortages in the labour market, according to CBS figures. In Limburg local authorities and businesses have drawn up an action plan to improve housing conditions as demand for foreign workers increases, while in Brabant the provincial assembly held an …

Demand for migrant workers in Netherlands continues to rise
6 years, 9 months ago

Demand for migrant workers in Netherlands continues to rise

NL Times  

The demand for migrant workers in the Netherlands is already high and will only increase in the coming years, according to research by SEO Economic Research, commissioned by temporary employment agency ABU. Without migrant workers, companies will have to adjust, limit or move their production process because there are simply not enough people to fill the jobs, according to the …

Local councils get tough on 'Polish houses', restrict labour migrant numbers
7 years ago

Local councils get tough on 'Polish houses', restrict labour migrant numbers

Dutch News  

Several local councils across the Netherlands are bringing in local laws to restrict the number of Eastern Europeans living in certain residential areas, Trouw reported on Tuesday. Maasdriel in Gelderland, Zuidplas in Zuid-Holland plus Zaltbommel and nearby Tiel are among the places which want to keep residential areas ‘liveable’ by limiting the number of foreign workers, the paper says. In …

Local councils get tough on 'Polish houses', restrict labour migrant numbers
7 years ago

Local councils get tough on 'Polish houses', restrict labour migrant numbers

Dutch News  

Several local councils across the Netherlands are bringing in local laws to restrict the number of Eastern Europeans living in certain residential areas, Trouw reported on Tuesday. Maasdriel in Gelderland, Zuidplas in Zuid-Holland plus Zaltbommel and nearby Tiel are among the places which want to keep residential areas ‘liveable’ by limiting the number of foreign workers, the paper says. In …

Dutch municipalities want fewer Polish, Romanian migrant workers in neighborhoods
7 years ago

Dutch municipalities want fewer Polish, Romanian migrant workers in neighborhoods

NL Times  

The municipalities of Maasdriel, Zuidplas, Zaltbommel and Tiel want to reduce the number of Polish and Romanian migrant workers living in residential neighborhoods, in order to keep the areas livable for local residents, RTL Nieuws reports. The number of migrant workers from Eastern Europe grew significantly in these municipalities over the past years. In Tiel, for example, Eastern European migrant …

Groningen defies government, builds new centre for failed asylum seekers
7 years, 11 months ago

Groningen defies government, builds new centre for failed asylum seekers

Dutch News  

The city of Groningen is defying government policy and setting up a new emergency shelter for failed asylum seekers who have no where else to go, broadcaster NOS said on Wednesday. In Groningen, failed asylum seekers are currently staying in a converted boat while the council builds a new centre to take 176 people. ‘Groningen has been a city of …

The big election issues: Dutch housing market under mounting pressure
8 years, 1 month ago

The big election issues: Dutch housing market under mounting pressure

Dutch News  

The Netherlands goes to the polls to elect a new government on March 15. The problem is particularly acute in the social housing sector, which still accounts for 29% of all homes despite the efforts of Mark Rutte’s government to liberalise the sector. The Socialists would use social housing to tackle the shortage of homes for low earners, by extending …

Dutch to press for EU reforms on detaining rejected asylum seekers
8 years, 2 months ago

Dutch to press for EU reforms on detaining rejected asylum seekers

Dutch News  

The Netherlands is to press Brussels for changes in the rules which prevent member states from detaining rejected asylum seekers in secure accommodation, the Telegraaf said on Friday. The paper quotes junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff as saying that rejected asylum seekers often take off when their deportation date nears. Despite calls from left-wing MPs to take more refugees from …

Dutch to press for EU reforms on detaining rejected asylum seekers
8 years, 2 months ago

Dutch to press for EU reforms on detaining rejected asylum seekers

Dutch News  

The Netherlands is to press Brussels for changes in the rules which prevent member states from detaining rejected asylum seekers in secure accommodation, the Telegraaf said on Friday. The paper quotes junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff as saying that rejected asylum seekers often take off when their deportation date nears. Despite calls from left-wing MPs to take more refugees from …

Refugees increasingly have to share homes in Netherlands
8 years, 8 months ago

Refugees increasingly have to share homes in Netherlands

NL Times  

Refugees who received a residency permit in the Netherlands increasingly have to share living space with other refugees, because Dutch municipalities can not find enough homes to house them all, the Volkskrant reports based on a survey of the 25 largest municipalities in the Netherlands. Many municipalities face a shortage of social housing, while the number of refugees increased significantly …

Big cities want more money to integrate refugees into Dutch society
8 years, 11 months ago

Big cities want more money to integrate refugees into Dutch society

Dutch News  

Officials in the four big Dutch cities are threatening to tear up the deal made with ministers on providing homes for refugees unless the government comes up with more cash. Eight aldermen in Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam have written to finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem and home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk calling for hundreds of millions of euros in …

Major shortage of affordable housing looms, says new report
9 years, 1 month ago

Major shortage of affordable housing looms, says new report

Dutch News  

The demand for rental homes in the Netherlands far outstrips supply and the trend is worsening, according to housing experts. A new report by property advisory group Capital Value has found that most of the new properties being built are for sale and thousands of rental homes are also being sold off. Affordable housing ‘Councils will have to do more …

Just 35% of long-term refugees have a full time job: report
9 years, 3 months ago

Just 35% of long-term refugees have a full time job: report

Dutch News  

Just 35% of the refugees who came to the Netherlands between 1995 and 1999 have a job of more than 30 hours a week, the NRC said on Wednesday. The newspaper bases its claim on a report by three government institutes entitled ‘no time to waste’ which highlights ways in which the authorities can make sure refugees integrate more swiftly …

Cities: “Drastic” change to social housing policy necessary
9 years, 4 months ago

Cities: “Drastic” change to social housing policy necessary

NL Times  

Most Housing aldermen in the 35 largest municipalities in the Netherlands believe that a change in the social housing police is necessary. They think that Housing Minister Stef Blok's idea of solving the social housing shortage problem by addressing so-called skewed living - people renting too cheaply or expensively in relation to their income - will not work. The vast …

Coalition agrees to cut provisions for asylum seekers
9 years, 5 months ago

Coalition agrees to cut provisions for asylum seekers

Dutch News  

The Dutch coalition government has agreed that refugees will no longer have priority over other residents when it comes to rent-controlled housing. ‘This means that people on waiting lists will not lose out because of refugees,’ prime minister Mark Rutte told reporters following Monday’s weekly coalition meeting. The coalition has also agreed to build more ‘sober’ housing units to reduce …

Coalition agrees to cut provisions for asylum seekers
9 years, 5 months ago

Coalition agrees to cut provisions for asylum seekers

Dutch News  

The Dutch coalition government has agreed that refugees will no longer have priority over other residents when it comes to rent-controlled housing. ‘This means that people on waiting lists will not lose out because of refugees,’ prime minister Mark Rutte told reporters following Monday’s weekly coalition meeting. The coalition has also agreed to build more ‘sober’ housing units to reduce …

Dutch Cabinet: Refugees not a priority for social housing
9 years, 5 months ago

Dutch Cabinet: Refugees not a priority for social housing

NL Times  

The PvdA has agreed with coalition partner VVD's proposal to no longer give recognized refugees priority in the distribution of social housing, on the condition that enough container homes are built to encourage the flow through asylum centers. The coalition has also adjusted their wording for the approach - the Netherlands is getting a "sober and fair" asylum policy. These …

Councils agree to find homes for asylum seekers
9 years, 5 months ago

Councils agree to find homes for asylum seekers

Dutch News  

Over the next six months, 10,000 refugees with leave to stay in the Netherlands will be moved into permanent housing to free up places in asylum seeker centres. Junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff told a press conference it was ‘a very good meeting’ during which all parties showed a willingness to jointly solve the problem of housing asylum seekers. Dijkhoff …

Councils agree to find homes for asylum seekers
9 years, 5 months ago

Councils agree to find homes for asylum seekers

Dutch News  

Over the next six months, 10,000 refugees with leave to stay in the Netherlands will be moved into permanent housing to free up places in asylum seeker centres. Junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff told a press conference it was ‘a very good meeting’ during which all parties showed a willingness to jointly solve the problem of housing asylum seekers. Dijkhoff …

125 Dutch councils in talks on taking in more refugees
9 years, 6 months ago

125 Dutch councils in talks on taking in more refugees

Dutch News  

Around 125 of the Netherlands 400 or so local authority areas are in official talks with the national refugee settlement agency on taking in asylum seekers. The local councils’ association VNG says support for providing accommodation for refugees is increasing but many councils first want to discuss their ideas with local residents. ‘And I am asking everyone to accept that …

125 Dutch councils in talks on taking in more refugees
9 years, 6 months ago

125 Dutch councils in talks on taking in more refugees

Dutch News  

Around 125 of the Netherlands 400 or so local authority areas are in official talks with the national refugee settlement agency on taking in asylum seekers. The local councils’ association VNG says support for providing accommodation for refugees is increasing but many councils first want to discuss their ideas with local residents. ‘And I am asking everyone to accept that …

Minister urges mayors to find homes for new refugees
9 years, 7 months ago

Minister urges mayors to find homes for new refugees

Dutch News  

The Dutch cabinet has allocated an extra €58.5m to take care of refugees outside Europe and is urging councils to find more beds and houses to accommodate those who make it to the Netherlands, the Volkskrant says on Friday. Junior immigration minister Klaas Dijkhoff tells the Volkskrant in an interview to be published on Saturday that he has been personally …

Minister urges mayors to find homes for new refugees
9 years, 7 months ago

Minister urges mayors to find homes for new refugees

Dutch News  

The Dutch cabinet has allocated an extra €58.5m to take care of refugees outside Europe and is urging councils to find more beds and houses to accommodate those who make it to the Netherlands, the Volkskrant says on Friday. Junior immigration minister Klaas Dijkhoff tells the Volkskrant in an interview to be published on Saturday that he has been personally …

Dutch refugee centres overflowing as housing supply dries up
9 years, 7 months ago

Dutch refugee centres overflowing as housing supply dries up

Dutch News  

There is a growing shortage of accommodation in asylum seekers centres in the Netherlands and a lack of starter homes for refugees with a temporary residence permit, broadcaster Nos says on Thursday. ‘That means we have to find accommodation for not just one person, but an additional three or four,’ Jan Stalman, spokesman for refugee settlement agency COA told the …

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