NETHERLANDS – Unmarried Partners Change On Hold
The Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND) in the Netherlands has announced that the changes to the Family Migration system which were to be effective from 1 July 2012 are on hold until further notice.
What Were The Changes?
The new measures, explained in more detail in our alert here were going to mean that unmarried partners would not have been accepted as dependents for immigration purposes unless they were able to prove that they were legally unable to marry in their home country (e.g. same sex couple).
Only married partners would be eligible for family reunification. An exception would apply for partners who are unable to marry in the foreign national’s country of origin, who would instead be able to apply for a “temporary marriage visa”.
When Will The Measures Take Effect?
The IND has announced that the measures are on hold, but has not given any date of when they will come into force; simply stating that they will announce more information via their website when available.
Action Items
- Be aware that unmarried partners may still be accepted as dependents in the Netherlands, although this may change in the near future.
