Any non-exhaustive list of derogatory adjectives that suitably describes the Dutch student visa procedure would include: convoluted, expensive, nontransparent, inefficient, confusing, vexing and, last but not least, unavoidable.
While the IND (Immigration and Naturalization Department) has a very successful track record of vetoing offers made by Dutch universities to talented international students – under the pretext of exerting their duty in safeguarding the Netherlands against possibly unscrupulous migrants – the IND’s lackadaisical work ethic and poor quality of service brings a very sharp contradiction into the picture. It’s become commonplace for universities to lose many students owing to the IND playing spoiled sport. That many students must wait months for the issuing or renewal of their verblijfsdocument exposes the blatant inefficiency of the system. Undoubtedly, the current Dutch student visa system is ridiculously outmoded and the bane of any international student.
Given that TU Delft’s Student Facility Center (SFC) has been sincere in its efforts to assist international MSc students, the simple fact of the matter remains that the only significant form of representation that the international student community can find at the negotiating table would be via universities like TU Delft. While ‘knowledge migrants’, such as researchers and those pursuing PhD degrees, are well catered for, international MSc students seem to constitute a second-string of priorities. Moreover, students having to deal with such levels of red tape on a personal basis only make matters worse. In testimony to the strict passport and barcode-based identification procedure, in my case the IND was kind enough to hand over my verblijfsdocument to ‘someone else’ who showed up to claim it! When I sought an explanation, I received a ‘… most of you look alike’ response. Coming from the Dutch diplomatic office for foreigners, this is not just thought-provoking but downright insulting. This single example is itself sufficient to expose the Dutch student visa system, which neither justifies the inconvenience it causes nor is practically capable of fulfilling its basic requirements. As wooing international students happens to be a very competitive arena, TU Delft and other Dutch universities are sure to feel the pinch of this handicap in the long run.
In sharp contradistinction to this is the efficient student visa system of Singapore, a prime destination of many foreign graduate students. The system is almost instantaneous by way of online processing, minimal in its bureaucracy and, in spite of its efficacy, happens to be reasonably priced. The Netherlands will do well to learn from Singapore in this aspect if it must capitalize on the brand image of its universities. TU Delft and the other Dutch universities better shake off their defeatist mode and wake up to the fact that unless they push for the betterment of the Dutch student visa procedure, it’ll cost the Netherlands dearly in the long run.
Ramesh Chidambaram (23)uit India is MSc-student micro-elektronica. Vanaf deze week schrijft hij elke vier weken een column op deze pagina
Any non-exhaustive list of derogatory adjectives that suitably describes the Dutch student visa procedure would include: convoluted, expensive, nontransparent, inefficient, confusing, vexing and, last but not least, unavoidable. While the IND (Immigration and Naturalization Department) has a very successful track record of vetoing offers made by Dutch universities to talented international students – under the pretext of exerting their duty in safeguarding the Netherlands against possibly unscrupulous migrants – the IND’s lackadaisical work ethic and poor quality of service brings a very sharp contradiction into the picture. It’s become commonplace for universities to lose many students owing to the IND playing spoiled sport. That many students must wait months for the issuing or renewal of their verblijfsdocument exposes the blatant inefficiency of the system. Undoubtedly, the current Dutch student visa system is ridiculously outmoded and the bane of any international student.
Given that TU Delft’s Student Facility Center (SFC) has been sincere in its efforts to assist international MSc students, the simple fact of the matter remains that the only significant form of representation that the international student community can find at the negotiating table would be via universities like TU Delft. While ‘knowledge migrants’, such as researchers and those pursuing PhD degrees, are well catered for, international MSc students seem to constitute a second-string of priorities. Moreover, students having to deal with such levels of red tape on a personal basis only make matters worse. In testimony to the strict passport and barcode-based identification procedure, in my case the IND was kind enough to hand over my verblijfsdocument to ‘someone else’ who showed up to claim it! When I sought an explanation, I received a ‘… most of you look alike’ response. Coming from the Dutch diplomatic office for foreigners, this is not just thought-provoking but downright insulting. This single example is itself sufficient to expose the Dutch student visa system, which neither justifies the inconvenience it causes nor is practically capable of fulfilling its basic requirements. As wooing international students happens to be a very competitive arena, TU Delft and other Dutch universities are sure to feel the pinch of this handicap in the long run.
In sharp contradistinction to this is the efficient student visa system of Singapore, a prime destination of many foreign graduate students. The system is almost instantaneous by way of online processing, minimal in its bureaucracy and, in spite of its efficacy, happens to be reasonably priced. The Netherlands will do well to learn from Singapore in this aspect if it must capitalize on the brand image of its universities. TU Delft and the other Dutch universities better shake off their defeatist mode and wake up to the fact that unless they push for the betterment of the Dutch student visa procedure, it’ll cost the Netherlands dearly in the long run.
Ramesh Chidambaram (23)uit India is MSc-student micro-elektronica. Vanaf deze week schrijft hij elke vier weken een column op deze pagina
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