The Netherlands: Key Immigration Updates for 2026

In this post we update you on a recent development in the policy regarding Highly Skilled Migrant and European Blue Card applications, as well as the updated salary thresholds for 2026.

New Salary Thresholds

The new salary thresholds for Highly Skilled Migrants, intra-company transfers, Blue Card holders, and recent graduates in the Netherlands have been published.

The following salary thresholds will apply per 1 January 2026:

• Highly skilled migrant / Intra-company transferee, age 30 and above: € 5,942
• Highly skilled migrant / Intra-company transferee, younger than 30: € 4,357
• Foreign nationals recently graduated in the Netherlands or from a prestigious university abroad: € 3,122
• Blue Card holders: € 5,942
• Blue Card holders who obtained a higher education diploma no more than 3 years immediately prior to application: € 4,7

The above presents the minimum gross salary per month, excluding 8% holiday allowance. All applications received by the IND after 31 December 2025 will need to meet these new salary thresholds.

If you have any questions regarding these new thresholds, please contact us. We would be happy to explain what this change would mean for your employees.

New Sponsor Obligation: Bank statements must be kept on file

From 1 January 2026, onwards, a recognised sponsor is required to store the bank statements that show that the salary has been paid to the employee.

The bank statements are additional proof that the salary is factually paid to the employee and therefore that the recognised sponsor fulfils the salary obligations. The bank statements do not have to be included in the application, but from 1 January 2026, the IND is entitled to request these if they wish to investigate whether the salary requirement is met or sanction employers / sponsors if they cannot show them during an audit.

To comply with the new rules, we will ask you to share the bank statements that show the last three salary payments when we prepare an extension application for a Highly Skilled Migrant or European blue card holder. That way, we can verify that the bank statements match the pay slips. Please note that we will only request the last three bank statements, but that you must have all bank statements for all salary payments on file. These must be, as all documents related to the Highly Skilled Migrant / European blue card holder, kept on file for at least 5 years after the end of the sponsorship.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact Antonia Grant at [email protected] and [email protected]