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. This is 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 Amounts change every six months, and older guides and forum posts often quote outdated numbers.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.