Employment agencies block migrant registration, leaving thousands vulnerable
Hundreds of thousands of labor migrants in the Netherlands remain unregistered in the national population registry, leaving them highly vulnerable, according to a new investigation by the trade union FNV. Reports show that employment agencies sometimes actively discourage registration or even terminate workers who attempt to register.
FNV found that some agencies withhold information about registration in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP), the national population database, allowing them to house large numbers of migrant workers in a single residence without the legal protections that registration provides.
Currently, an estimated one million labor migrants live in the Netherlands, with hundreds of thousands unregistered. Those without registration are harder to trace, more susceptible to exploitative housing, and often face eviction when losing employment. Studies suggest that three out of five homeless people in the country are labor migrants.
“We have seen cases where a Polish man who had worked in the Netherlands for sixteen years faced eviction from his home while undergoing daily morphine treatment for cancer, simply because he was not registered,” Aik van den Boogaard, FNV labor migration consultant, told NRC. “He could easily lose his housing because he had not built up rental rights.”
Organizations such as FairWork, which supports victims of labor exploitation, and the Salvation Army confirm FNV’s findings. FairWork social worker Alina Bejan told the newspaper, “I recently saw a rental contract where an appendix explicitly stated, ‘Tenants are not allowed to register in BRP.’”
Agnes Pioro, a social worker, described additional tactics used by agencies to block registration: “Coordinators respond dismissively or claim they will handle it without following through. Intimidation also occurs, including threats of dismissal if someone tries to register. Sometimes the threats are carried out.”
Some agencies also charge migrants for assistance with registration. Pioro recounted, “One migrant had to pay 250 euros for help registering. Shortly afterward, he was dismissed.”
Local municipalities sometimes delay or deny registration. Merve Yikilmaz, national coordinator for homeless EU citizens at the Salvation Army, explained, “Registration gives access to social services, which can be a burden municipalities are reluctant to take on. Without registration, proving continuous work in the Netherlands and eligibility for emergency shelter can take months, leaving migrants exposed to homelessness.”
The Dutch government plans to require employers, including temporary staffing agencies, to assist migrants with registration starting January 1, 2027. A Ministry of Social Affairs spokesperson said, “The current practice contradicts how registration should work. Employers will be obliged to provide support at the start of employment.”
Without BRP registration, migrants also struggle to access general practitioners and health insurance, sometimes returning to their home countries for medical care, Bejan said.
The Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG) noted that while municipalities occasionally ask additional questions when migrants attempt to register at addresses without legal residence, they have no evidence of systemic delays. A VNG spokesperson said, “We do not see this as a structural problem, but we cannot monitor all 342 municipalities directly.”
