Within our field of inclusive employment services, we work with various groups of newcomers, namely status holders, asylum seekers, Ukrainian displaced persons and (EU) migrant workers. Each of these groups has its own legal status, rights and challenges in the labour market. All people who we guide towards a sustainable job are allowed to live and work in the Netherlands.
Below, we briefly explain the differences.
Status holders
Status holders are people who have applied for asylum in the Netherlands and have been granted a residence permit (status). They are allowed to live and work in the Netherlands.
Characteristics:
- They have a temporary asylum residence permit;
- they are entitled to work, education, healthcare and benefits;
- the local authority helps with integration and housing;
- they usually follow an integration programme (language + participation), because of this they might not be fulltime available during this programme.
Asylum seekers
Asylum seekers are people who have applied for asylum in the Netherlands but are still awaiting a decision from the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service).
Characteristics:
- They live in an asylum seekers’ centre and receive basic provisions from the COA;
- do not yet have residence status;
- are allowed to work after their asylum application has been pending for 6 months;
- their employer must have a work permit (TWV);
- there are no integration requirements yet, but asylum seekers are of course allowed to start integrating on their own initiative.
Ukrainian displaced persons
Ukrainian displaced persons fled Ukraine after 24 February 2022 and are permitted to work in the Netherlands.
Characteristics:
- They must be registered with the municipality and listed in the BRP;
- they fall under the European Protection Directive and therefore need to apply for asylum in order to live and work in the Netherlands;
- they need proof of temporary protection (e.g. a sticker in their passport or an O document from the IND).
Migrant workers / Europeans (EU citizens)
Migrant workers are people who have come to the Netherlands to work, usually from countries within the European Union, but also from outside the EU with a work permit.
Characteristics:
- No integration requirements;
- free to work (EU citizens do not need a work permit);
- must register with the municipality and have a BSN (citizen service number).
| Category | Who is this? | Allowed to work? | Residence permit? | Special details |
| Status holder | someone who has been granted a residence permit on the basis of asylum | ✅ yes, just like other residents✅ yes, just like other residents | ✅ yes – residence permit for a definite or indefinite period | expected to integrate (language, work, housing). |
| Asylum seeker | someone who has applied for asylum in the Netherlands and is awaiting a decision | ✅ yes, but only after six months and only with a work permit (TWV) | ❌ no residence permit yet – staying on the basis of asylum procedure | Usually lives in an asylum seekers’ centre (AZC). |
| Ukrainian displaced persons | Ukrainians who fled after 24 February 2022 because of the war | ✅ yes, without a work permit under the Temporary Protection Directive | ❌ no individual asylum status, but collective protection | valid until 4 March 2026 (may be extended or terminated). |
| European (EU citizen) | someone from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland | ✅ yes, without a permit – free movement of workers | ❌ no separate residence permit required, but registration with the municipality (BRP) is required | has the same right to work as Dutch nationals. |
| Migrant workers | someone from outside the EU or Switzerland | ✅ yes, but with a (TWV) permit | ❌ no separate residence permit required, but registration with the municipality (BRP) is required | there are several kind of permits with their own requirements. |
