Immigration to the Netherlands: Application Instructions for Family Reunion

In the Netherlands, "family reunion" is by far the largest category of immigrants. Due to the well-known refugee tide of 20 15 (43,900 refugee applications), the family reunion immigrants in this year alone are not Dutch immigrants. In 20 15, there were 27,960 applications for family reunion in the Netherlands, of which 8 1% were approved.

Then, who can apply for family reunion immigration for different forms of family relations? What are the eligibility criteria for approving family reunion applications? What are the specific rules? Are there any exception rules?

Partner/spouse

It goes without saying that a person should certainly have the opportunity to bring his spouse to the Netherlands through family reunion, which is a matter of course.

In this regard, it is recognized that three forms of partnership are very important in Dutch law: marriage partnership, government registered partnership (very similar to marriage, both parties signed a contract at the city hall) and cohabitation partnership. Dutch immigration law treats these three different relationships equally.

Even for many Dutch natives, there is a misunderstanding that the officially married spouse relationship will have more advantages than the other two relationships in the application procedure for family reunion.

Actually, it is not! Whether you are married, registered as a partner, or plan to live with your partner, there is no difference in the success of your application for family reunion and the length of the approval process of this application.

However, the Dutch immigration law requires that the applicant's family relationship must be affective. Although the words "affectionate" and "exclusive" have not been defined in any way, I believe everyone can understand their meanings.

In short, we can assume that a life partner who has a unique and special meaning to you can apply for family reunion immigration. Therefore, we come to an almost natural logical conclusion that people think that applicants for family reunion (spouses/partners) should live with Dutch spouses/partners directly after arriving in the Netherlands. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of the residence permit for family reunification.

Another important requirement is the age of the partner. Spouses or partners applying for family reunion must be at least 2 1 year old. Many years ago, when this regulation was first implemented, it encountered a lot of resistance from law enforcement departments. However, this provision was supported by the Dutch court and later approved by the European Court of Justice and legalized.

children

According to the immigration policy of family reunification, children are also eligible to apply for residence permits. Among this group of applicants, the most prominent is of course the biological minor children of Dutch residents. In addition, children born out of wedlock, such as adopted children, also belong to the scope of family reunion immigration.

The most important factor is that parents have a practical relationship with their children. It is not enough to show blood relationship or legal parental relationship. Parents who apply for children's reunion must show that they are actually related to their children's life. Therefore, parents must show that they are using funds to support their children's lives and keep in regular contact with their children.

Other family members

Then, besides spouses, partners and children, can other family members also obtain the right of abode in the Netherlands by applying for family reunion?

Generally speaking, it is impossible. Before 20 12, 10, for single-parent families, adult children can apply for single parents over 65 to live in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this residence permit policy has been abolished since 20 13.

Under very special circumstances, an appeal (ECHR) can be filed according to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, so that spouses, partners and other family members except children have the opportunity to obtain the right of abode. However, there are still many requirements in this regard.