Dear visitors,
Leuk dat je hier bent!
I'm an American, born and bred, who moved to the Netherlands for love- both of a certain somebody and of a certain city. I first arrived in Amsterdam in 2010, clueless as far as immigration went. I lasted three months on a tourist 'visa', frantically applying to grad programs. After a suspenseful summer back in the US, I was accepted, a scholarship came through, and I was allowed to return to the Netherlands to pursue an MA.
A year passed. By fall of 2011 I'd gotten me summore education, and learned of the darling of all residence permits- the Search Year (aka Zoekjaar) Permit- one year to search for a job that pays a minimum of ~27.000 Euros.* What a reasonable thing to ask of a recent graduate! What a generous offer! Unfortunately, the job market was not so benevolent. Suddely, another year was nearly up and, now in my late 20s, I'd had enough of dead-end internships. So I decided to look into starting my own business. And that is where this webbified story begins.
It won't get much more personal than this, but I hope you can tell that I just want to help others who are in the same boat. Immigration bureaucracy consumed enough of my life. I hope this will help you to move forward more quickly. So please relax that furrow in your brow - The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty is here to help. I hope you can guiltily benefit from its preferential treatment as much as I have.
Met Vriendelijke Groet,
S.
*Certain restrictions apply.
Leuk dat je hier bent!
I'm an American, born and bred, who moved to the Netherlands for love- both of a certain somebody and of a certain city. I first arrived in Amsterdam in 2010, clueless as far as immigration went. I lasted three months on a tourist 'visa', frantically applying to grad programs. After a suspenseful summer back in the US, I was accepted, a scholarship came through, and I was allowed to return to the Netherlands to pursue an MA.
A year passed. By fall of 2011 I'd gotten me summore education, and learned of the darling of all residence permits- the Search Year (aka Zoekjaar) Permit- one year to search for a job that pays a minimum of ~27.000 Euros.* What a reasonable thing to ask of a recent graduate! What a generous offer! Unfortunately, the job market was not so benevolent. Suddely, another year was nearly up and, now in my late 20s, I'd had enough of dead-end internships. So I decided to look into starting my own business. And that is where this webbified story begins.
It won't get much more personal than this, but I hope you can tell that I just want to help others who are in the same boat. Immigration bureaucracy consumed enough of my life. I hope this will help you to move forward more quickly. So please relax that furrow in your brow - The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty is here to help. I hope you can guiltily benefit from its preferential treatment as much as I have.
Met Vriendelijke Groet,
S.
*Certain restrictions apply.