Outgoing State Secretary develops scheme to help undocumented Surinamese people

Outgoing State Secretary Eric van der Burg (asylum) is developing a one-off scheme for the hundreds of Surinamese people who have been living in the Netherlands for decades without the necessary papers. He wrote this to the lower house of Dutch Parliament, the Tweede Kamer, which adopted a motion with a large majority on Tuesday to ensure “that this group does not continue to go through life in the Netherlands without the relevant documents.”

To qualify, the undocumented need to meet four conditions. They need to have been Dutch citizens before 1975 and lost that citizenship when Suriname gained independence in 1975. They need to have lived in the Netherlands for at least ten years and live there currently. They also have to provide identification, and they cannot have been convicted of a crime in the last ten years.

The arrangement is meant to be in force by January 1, 2025. Applicants must submit an application within six months.

Help organizations De Regenboog and ASKV said that they are incredibly pleased with the decision made by the Cabinet. There will also be undocumented Surinamese people who miss out on the arrangement, ASKV counselor Jiske Castien said. She expects this to be mainly people who have not lived in the Netherlands for ten years in a row, for example, because they temporarily moved back to Suriname.

How many Surinamese people are undocumented in the Netherlands is unknown. “Either way, we will be their side,” said Castien. She hopes for leniency in the implementation of the scheme.