Changing jobs or losing your job on a highly skilled migrant permit

You can change employers on a highly skilled migrant permit as long as the new employer is also an IND recognised sponsor and pays the salary threshold that applies on the day the new contract starts. The new employer notifies the IND within 4 weeks. If you lose your job, you have 3 months to find a new one, or 6 months if you have held the permit for 2 years or more and became unemployed on or after 22 May 2026.

Rules and figures as of October 2026. Check your own situation with the IND or a qualified adviser before you act on it.

changing employers

1. Check the new employer is on the register. Use the sponsor lookup or the IND register. The new employer must be a recognised sponsor for the highly skilled migrant route.
2. Check the salary against today's threshold, at your age today. On a change of employer, the IND uses the amount that applies on the start date of the new contract. If you are now 30 or older, that is €5,942 a month in 2026, even if you first came in on the under-30 amount. You keep the under-30 amount (€4,357) only if you are still under 30 when you change.
3. The new employer reports the change. It notifies the IND within 4 weeks. The IND has a legal decision period of 45 days for this notification (it can extend by 15 days in special cases).
4. Keep working. If the IND has not decided within the decision period, you may work for the new employer for the rest of your current permit's validity.

If you came in on the reduced salary criterion (€3,122), the IND brochure says it keeps applying after a change of employer, at the amount valid on the date of the change, and it does not depend on your age. If more than 3 years have passed since you graduated, check with the IND before you accept an offer at that level. See the salary guide.

if you lose your job

The search period never runs past the end date of your current permit. Your employer must tell the IND that your employment has ended. During the search period you can apply for a new highly skilled migrant job with any recognised sponsor.

things that catch people out

• The age jump. Changing jobs after you turn 30 can raise your threshold from €4,357 to €5,942. Check the offer before you resign.
• The 30% ruling has its own clock. If you have the ruling, the gap between the two jobs matters for keeping it. The Tax Administration sets those rules; see the 30% ruling guide.
• Family permits follow yours. Your partner's and children's permits depend on your residence, so a gap affects them too.
• A side job is not a new employer. Working for a second employer needs a work permit (TWV) for that job until you have worked in the Netherlands for 5 years. Freelancing alongside your job is allowed.