Removing obstacles and arranging obvious things properly: this is a good example. Member of Parliament Anne-Marijke Podt (D66) has submitted a bill aimed at accelerated access for asylum seekers to the labor market. This week the deadline for the online consultation round expired. Refugee Talent Hub is a great supporter of this law and has made this known. And we also see a point for improvement.

Many employers are keen to utilise the talent and expertise of newcomers - not only those with a residence permit but also those seeking asylum. The reverse is also true. A large proportion of candidates with a refugee background - including the group awaiting their asylum procedure - are eager to get to work, but find it difficult to enter the labour market and find (suitable) work. Employers and newcomers benefit from accelerated and improved access to work; that is why Refugee Talent Hub supports Anne-Marijke Podt's private member's bill.

 The core of the bill is twofold:

•  Employers no longer need to arrange a work permit when hiring asylum seekers. Instead, they must report to the UWV, just as is already the case with Ukrainians. This saves a lot of administrative hassle and is faster. For your information: employers and newcomers who have agreed on a job sometimes wait weeks for the necessary paperwork.
•  The waiting period for promising asylum seekers will be shortened from six months to one month after submitting their asylum application, so that this group does not have to sit idle while waiting for their application to be processed.

 In addition, this law stipulates that no time limit may be imposed, as was previously the case when asylum seekers were only allowed to work 24 weeks a year. Fortunately, this rule was already removed in November 2023 and this is now formally confirmed.

 We welcome this. Employers who are currently struggling with a tight labour market are helped with additional labour potential and organisations with a diverse workforce are demonstrably more successful and future-proof. In addition, the successful labour integration of Ukrainians, who have a separate status, shows that the proposed adjustments can have positive results.

 Sitting still is not good for anyone

 What would make the law even stronger for us is if this proposal were to apply to all asylum seekers. The term 'promising asylum seekers' is confusing, and can lead to delays and reluctance among employers. And sitting still is not good for anyone.

The report by research agency SEO (2024), commissioned by Refugee Talent Hub, among others, is also clear about this: working asylum seekers are healthier and happier, integrate faster and make a greater contribution to Dutch society. The research also shows that improved access to the labour market will yield almost €2 billion in additional prosperity for Dutch society over a period of ten years.

 In short: the measures proposed by Anne-Marijke Podt are a welcome step towards accelerated and improved access to employment for newcomers. We propose: delete the word 'promising' from the bill. Then even more employers will have the opportunity to discover the talents that so many newcomers bring with them. And even more newcomers will have the opportunity to develop themselves, become self-reliant, and make a greater contribution to Dutch society.