The reduced salary criterion: it makes you drastically cheaper to sponsor
This is the real payoff of the orientation year. If you switch to a knowledge-migrant permit while on the orientation-year permit or within 3 years of graduating, your employer only has to pay the reduced criterion of 3,122 eur/month gross (2026) instead of 4,357 (under 30) or 5,942 (30+). That 3-year window is what turns 'we can't afford to sponsor you' into 'yes.' Indexed yearly; the 3-year clock runs from graduation.
EUR 3,122month
Get the rest of it, in your own language.
MAS reads your IND letter, checks whether an employer can legally sponsor you, and finds work that will actually take you. Free, no account.
More on visas and permits
- The startup permit: an easier on-ramp than the self-employed permit (no points system)
- US founders (and Japanese nationals) get a self-employment permit with only 4,500 eur and no points test
- A partner/family permit can come with FULL, unrestricted work rights
- Married to a Dutch national? Naturalise after 3 years and skip the permanent-permit prerequisite
- EU Blue Card buys EU-wide mobility; the national knowledge-migrant permit does not
- Permanent residence: ask for the EU long-term resident permit, it is a free upgrade