Dismissed on a Highly Skilled Migrant Permit in Amsterdam? Do This First
Losing your job as a kennismigrant affects your right to stay, not just your income. Here is what matters most in the first days — and the mistakes that cost people their status.
If you hold a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) permit, losing your job puts your residence on a clock. Highly skilled migrants are generally given a search period — commonly three months — to find a new sponsoring employer before their right to stay is at risk.
Two moves matter most: do not sign a settlement agreement (vaststellingsovereenkomst) before you understand how its end date affects both your WW benefit and your permit search window; and get advice quickly, because the clock runs from your employment end date — a date that is often negotiable.
What happens to your permit when the job ends
Your kennismigrant permit is sponsored by your employer. When your employment ends, the employer is required to notify the IND, and your permit can in principle be withdrawn. In practice, highly skilled migrants are usually allowed a search period — often three months — to find new sponsored employment or otherwise arrange their stay.
The key point for Amsterdam professionals: the search period is driven by dates. Exactly when it starts and how long you have depends on your permit and your situation, so the end date of your employment is not just an HR formality — it sets your immigration timeline.
If your 30% ruling, your partner’s residence, or your children’s schooling depend on your permit, a job loss can affect them too.
That is why permit holders should treat a dismissal as urgent even when the financial side looks manageable.
Do not sign the settlement agreement blind
Dutch employers usually propose a vaststellingsovereenkomst instead of going to court. For a permit holder this document is doubly important: the agreed end date determines when your WW unemployment benefit can start and when your permit search window begins. Signing the first draft quickly can shorten your effective search window and put your WW at risk.
You usually have a short reflection period (commonly 14 days) to withdraw after signing. Terms such as the end date, garden leave, the transition payment (transitievergoeding) and a positive reference are all negotiable — and for you the end date is not just about money, it is about time on your permit.
Your employment rights still apply — separately from your permit
The immigration clock does not erase your ordinary rights as an employee. Depending on the route, you may be owed the statutory transition payment, proper notice, and — if the dismissal was unfair or the process was flawed — additional compensation. These are worth checking before you accept any exit, because they can also fund the search period you now need.
The first seven days: a checklist
- Do not sign anything yet — not the settlement agreement, and not a resignation letter.
- Save everything: your contract, the dismissal message, any settlement draft, and your recent payslips.
- Write down the key dates: when you were told, the proposed end date, and your permit’s expiry date.
- Check your exact permit type and conditions in your IND documents.
- Get advice on the employment side and the immigration side together, before the end date is fixed.
- Only then respond to your employer with a considered position.
On a kennismigrant permit and just been let go in Amsterdam? Talk it through in a free 15-minute call before you sign anything.
Common Amsterdam situations
Scale-up or startup layoff
Amsterdam’s tech and scale-up scene restructures fast, and international staff are often among the first affected. Even in an economic redundancy the employer must follow the correct route and selection rules, and you keep your permit search period. A rushed group exit is worth a second look.
Dismissed during your probation period
A probation (proeftijd) dismissal can be quick, but the probation clause must have been valid and in writing to begin with — and your permit clock still starts. If the probation was not validly agreed, the dismissal may not stand.
Fixed-term contract not renewed
If your contract is simply “not renewed,” the employer must still give timely written notice (aanzegging), and repeated fixed-term contracts can convert to a permanent one under the chain rules. For permit holders, non-renewal also triggers the search period, so plan early.
Frequently asked questions
Highly skilled migrants are generally allowed a search period — commonly three months — to find a new sponsoring employer, tied to your employment end date. The exact length and start depend on your situation, so confirm it early and treat the end date as important.
Usually yes — the point of the search period is to let you move to a new recognised sponsor and continue your stay. The new employer applies to sponsor you. Timing and paperwork matter, so start the search immediately.
Not the same day. For a permit holder the agreed end date affects both your WW benefit and your permit search window, and the first draft is usually improvable. You typically have a reflection period, and key terms are negotiable.
Often yes. Your employment rights, including the statutory transition payment, apply separately from your immigration status. It is worth checking what you are owed before accepting an exit.
The 30% ruling is tied to qualifying employment, so a job change can affect it, sometimes with a limited window to continue it with a new employer. Because it interacts with both tax and your permit, get advice on your specific case.
No. FindLawyer.nl is a matching service. We connect you with an independent, NOvA-registered Dutch employment lawyer who can advise on both the employment and, where needed, the immigration side of your case.
Your permit is on a clock. Don’t lose time.
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FindLawyer.nl is a legal matching service operated by Leadvise Legal B.V., not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice or representation. This article is general information for English-speaking residents in the Netherlands and is not a substitute for advice on your specific situation. If you proceed with our Lawyer Matching Service, we explain the matching fee before you decide; lawyer fees are separate and paid directly to the partner law firm.