Parliament tells migration minister to stop influx of undocumented labor migrants

Parliament wants there to be an end to the “secret route” that illegal labor migrants from countries outside the European Union are taking to get into the Netherlands, it was stated on Thursday during a debate. The Labor Inspectorate is running into more and more undocumented citizens during checkups at companies, Nieuwsuur reported recently.

Some of them are said to be abusing a registration intended for people who want to work or study here for a maximum of four months. At this registration, called the Non-residents Records Database (RNI), migrants are given a citizen service number (BSN). They do not have to give a living address for this or explain why they are staying in the Netherlands.

These migrants are then able to work in the country. They are able to open a bank account using their BSN or register a company at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce.

Notably, many of these illegal labor migrants are Brazilians and people from Georgia. People traveling to the European Union from these countries for a short stay do not need a visa to do so. They only need a passport.

In the debate about forms of migration other than an asylum procedure, the VVD, PVV, NSC, and SP asked the migration minister, Marjolein Faber, to do something to combat this. These parties form a majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament.

Michiel van Nispen (SP) has said that the PVV minister is only making an effort to reduce the asylum migration and is not looking at other forms of migration. He added that she would be laying out a “red carpet” for knowledge and labor migrants. Faber must "close down back routes as quickly as possible," the SP member said.

Marina Vondeling (PVV) is requesting that Faber deport the undocumented labor migrants as soon as possible.

“We are all in agreement that we need to combat this,” Faber said about it. But she pointed out that the solution has to come from the NSC ministers Judith Uitermark (Interior Affairs) and Eddy Van Hijum (Social Affairs and Employment).

“Well now nothing is the minister’s responsibility,” Van Hijum responded in an outraged manner. Faber said that these topics will be discussed in a debate between her and Van Hijum at a later stage, to the displeasure of D66 and the SP.