Internationals are indispensable for our economy

Early 2019, The Hague International Centre (THIC) started with a partner program to welcome highly skilled migrants, and to offer them a trouble-free start in the Netherlands. ‘In this collaboration, Exterus is a key partner and service provider with loads of expertise’, says Gerko Visée, consultant and account manager at THIC. ‘They support employees and highly skilled migrants with all the official matters in regard with their migration; from applying for a work and residence permit to taking care of the salary processing. We also collaborate on a number of researches that are relevant for the internationally oriented companies operating in the area of The Hague.’

HOUSING SCARCITY HAS A STAGNATING EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY

‘We are currently analysing housing among internationals, employers, and service providers to find out which obstacles they encounter in the housing market. Not only can they tell us where there is a scarcity of housing in the area of The Hague, they can also tell us what obstacles internationals face. This provides us with tools to improve understanding about the housing market and its challenges. We would like to know more about the problems expats face. It is in the best interest of our economy and our city to understand and support internationals the best we can. Thanks to the signals we get from our partners we know that the target group is not yet sufficiently tended to regarding housing in the area of The Hague. They say that suitable houses for internationals are increasingly difficult to find. When the results of the research are clearer, we can proactively address this matter.’

PRESSURE ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION INCREASES

Another example of the collaboration between the partners is international education. The Hague has grown considerably as the international city of Peace and Justice. An increasing number of internationals stays here with their families. ‘We hear more frequently of employers and service providers that the pressure on the capacity of international schools is increasing’, Visée adds. ‘Some schools even have stopped accepting students. In spite of the fact that 45% of all students in international education are enrolled in schools in The Hague. This implies that the Netherlands becomes less attractive to migrants with families. Insufficient capacity of education stands in the way to choose for the Netherlands. We want to take away the hurdle. We therefore studied what the capacity of the schools should be. With employers, service providers and schools we made estimates, inventoried bottlenecks and thought about solutions.’

THIC AS A PLATFORM

‘Studying matters such as housing and international education and putting them on the agenda, has all got to do with the soft landing we want to offer internationals,’ Visée continues. “Working on a more just world is done in The Hague,” is our slogan. As the city of Peace and Justice, The Hague is the cradle for large leading companies and business service providers. Many of these companies try to hire the best people from the entire world. This is what the city stands for, but it is also good for the economy. International studies show that ‘talent’ prefers choosing a place where it is not only good to work, but also good to live. If that is all available in one single city, internationals will more likely move there. For that reason, it is in the best interest of the Netherlands to provide these people with the best guidance possible.’

EXTERUS MAKES LIFE EASIER

THIC being the home base for knowledge migrants, Exterus has been using all its expertise for years in order to welcome highly skilled migrants in the Netherlands. Exterus supports various relocation services and assists in obtaining all the required documents. They ensure full support of both employer and employee. From work/ residence permits to relocation and payrolling needs. With years of experience Exterus plays a crucial role for the migrant and the international importance of The Hague.