For students
Planning to study in the Netherlands? Graduating is only step one.
A student visa gets you in the door. What actually determines whether you can stay and work is a separate visa, a separate deadline, and a separate salary bar — and most students only learn the details of all three after they have already graduated.
Step 1 — after graduation
The orientation year (zoekjaar) permit
Once you graduate from a recognised Dutch institution — or, in some cases, a qualifying top-ranked university abroad — you can apply for a one-year orientation year residence permit. This is what gives you time to actually find a job, rather than needing one lined up before you can stay.
Duration
12 months, one time only
The orientation year cannot be extended or renewed. It is a single 12-month window, and you must apply within a set number of years of your graduation date — always confirm the current cutoff on the official IND website, as these deadlines are periodically reviewed.
Salary requirement
None, during the orientation year itself
You get full, unrestricted access to the Dutch labour market during this year — any job, at any salary, including internships, while you search. The salary threshold only becomes relevant for what comes next.
What you need
A qualifying degree, a valid passport, and a Dutch address
Exact document requirements and current fees are set and updated by the IND — check the live IND website for the figures in force when you apply, since these are indexed periodically.
Step 2 — after you find a job
Switching to the highly skilled migrant permit — at a reduced bar
If you find a job with an IND-recognised sponsor during, or shortly after, your orientation year, your employer can apply for a highly skilled migrant permit on your behalf at a reduced salary threshold — meaningfully lower than the standard rate, and available for a set number of years after graduation, not just during the orientation year itself. This is the single biggest advantage of coming through the student route rather than applying from abroad as an experienced hire.
Always check the current live IND figures before relying on a specific number — the reduced graduate rate, the standard under-30 rate and the standard 30-and-over rate are three different figures that all move independently.
The exact reduced-rate threshold, eligibility window and standard-rate comparisons are published and updated on the official IND website. Treat any number you see elsewhere — including on this page — as a planning estimate, and confirm it directly with the IND before making a decision.
Step 3 — if the year runs out
What happens if you don't find a qualifying job in time
Because the orientation year permit is one-time and non-renewable, not finding a sponsor-backed role before it ends means you would need another route to stay — a standard highly skilled migrant application at the full salary threshold, a different visa category entirely, or returning home and re-approaching the market from abroad. This is exactly the scenario worth planning for early, not in month eleven.
The realistic question isn't "can I get an orientation year visa" — almost every qualifying graduate can. It's "does my profession, experience and target role realistically clear a sponsor's hiring bar within twelve months." That's a very different question, and it's the one CleartoNL is built to answer.
Check your chances before you commit
Run your profile — profession, experience, target salary — through CleartoNL to see where you would realistically stand once your orientation year starts.