Hello Archinect,

I am interested in potentially job hunting in the Netherlands in the near future, but I have heard from one company, MVRDV, that the Netherlands has recently cracked down on companies hiring illegal workers from outside the EU- big fines. They have also become quite strict about the issuance of work permits. The company needs to prove to the government that it has work in the foreign worker's country for that company to hire the foreign worker and have a work permit issued. This might not be a problem for OMA, but there are not many Dutch firms that have work outside the EU. I have heard that you can work as an independent contractor and apply for a job permit that way- does anybody know anything about this? Does anyone American have any recent experience getting a work permit in the Netherlands or I imagine that the situation might be true for the rest of the EU? Any links that you know of would also be helpful. Thanks all!

cosmoe