netherlandsvisasworking
Dutch graduate work-visa salary threshold: €3,122
International graduates who use the Dutch orientation year to move into paid work are covered by updated salary rules from 1 July 2026. The IND’s highly skilled migrant salary thresholds, reviewed twice a year, are €4,357 a month gross for migrants under 30, €5,942 for those 30 and over, and a reduced €3,122 for recent graduates and PhD holders within three years of finishing. These figures decide who qualifies once a graduate has an employer willing to sponsor them.
What changed
- The IND updates highly skilled migrant salary thresholds twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July. The amounts effective 1 July 2026, valid through 31 December 2026, are €4,357 a month gross for migrants under 30 and €5,942 a month gross for migrants 30 and over.
- A reduced threshold of €3,122 a month gross applies to graduates of a Dutch institution, or of a qualifying non-Dutch institution, within three years of graduation or a doctoral defence — the bracket most orientation-year holders fall into.
- These are the thresholds a job offer must meet for the IND to approve a switch from an orientation-year permit, or direct sponsorship, into the highly skilled migrant category.
Who it affects
- International graduates on, or planning to apply for, the orientation year (“zoekjaar”) residence permit after finishing a Dutch degree.
- Recent graduates close to accepting a job offer — the salary offered needs to clear the threshold that applies on the date of application, not the date the offer was made.
- Employers sponsoring recent graduates as highly skilled migrants, who need to structure offers against the correct age and graduate-status bracket.
- Anyone who turns 30 during their orientation year: the applicable threshold depends on age at the point of the subsequent application, so the relevant bracket can change mid-search.
What you should do
- Check the current figures directly on the IND income requirements page before signing an offer letter — amounts change every six months, and older guides and forum posts often quote outdated numbers.
- If you’re within three years of graduating from a Dutch institution, or a qualifying non-Dutch one, confirm with your employer that they’re applying the reduced €3,122 rate rather than the standard age-based thresholds.
- If your offer is close to the threshold, check which figure will apply on your actual application date, not today’s date.
- For how the orientation year connects to student and work permits more broadly, see our working in the Netherlands guide.
What hasn’t changed
The three-year window for using the reduced graduate rate, the underlying orientation-year eligibility rules, and the requirement that your employer be an IND-recognised sponsor are unchanged.