Antillean immigration causes coalition tension

The Bosman Act, to be discussed tonight in parliament, has the parties riled up. André Bosman, VVD MP, wants to drastically restrict Antilleans from moving to the Netherlands, by enforcing certain requirements. The PvdA agrees with the need for regulations, but condemns the Act in its current form. The Bosman Act would require Dutch Antilleans from Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Martin to apply for a residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalization Service to take up residence in the Netherlands. To qualify for the permit, applicants have to meet one of four requirements: they have to have a job, or enough money to support themselves, they have to be admitted to a Dutch school, or have a close relative living in the Netherlands. Without a valid residence permit Antilleans will be excluded from government assistance, such as social security or social housing. The Act is being increasingly criticized, not only by the PvdA who wants the Act to be more specific rather than target a group in general, but also by the Meijers Committee who thinks the Act discriminates on race, and the Human Rights Committee who finds the Act stigmatizing and prejudice. Bosman refers to the government agreement in which such measures were already announced. Aruba has been an independent state within the Kingdom since 1986, Curaçao and St. Martin followed in its footsteps in 2010. All three countries enforce certain requirements on European Dutch that want to move there. His Act needs to seen in that same light. The PvdA will not support the Bosman Act in its current form.