OPINION: Why the Dutch government (really) wants fewer internationals in the Netherlands

Too much tourism, too much English on trams, and now too many students from abroad? As internationals, sometimes it’s hard not to adopt a growing sense that the Dutch government doesn’t like us very much. 🥲

Since voting to cut down on international students in 2019, the House of Representatives has been continually striving to keep non-Dutch citizens out of the Netherlands.

So far, any efforts by the Dutch government to do so have gone in vain. Much to their dismay, the country is brimming with internationals.

In fact, there’s even more of us

This year has seen a 1,200 increase non-EU applicants alone compared to last year — and remember, this is something EU internationals don’t have to submit. 

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) — i.e. the people tasked with handling non-EU student applications — say that sifting through additional forms is “daunting”. 

The latest development in this de-internationalization saga is the University of Amsterdam (UvA) demanding a €100 down payment for applications, purely to frighten off international students. 😳

But why would the regering (government) want to exclude a group of people that enrich, diversify, and even fund their lives? (Think of those deliciously huge student fees for non-EU internationals). 💰

I’m not necessarily saying the thwarting of immigration is a case of “biting the hand that feeds you”, but it’s also…not… not that? 👀

The “reasons” they’ve provided

So what does the House of Representatives have to say for themselves? Here are the reasons both the government and Dutch universities have given to justify their decision — and here’s my hot take on their responses. 

The Dutch accommodation shortage

One reason that gets cited over and over again is the ongoing and persistently unpleasant accommodation shortage. 

You know, the one that has students scraping together an average of €715 euros a month? (If they’re lucky enough to find a room in the first place, that is.) 

Supposedly, by saying, “Don’t come here”, the government is just looking out for internationals, wanting to save them from the clutches of homelessness. 

READ MORE | The student housing nightmare: a tale of discrimination, fraud, and protest

After all, it seems that for them, this is the only viable option: limit the universities’ international student intake — as opposed to, say, building more student accommodation or imposing a price ceiling for money-grabbing landlords that capitalise on students’ desperation. 

Pff, that would be insane! 🙃

Too much work for university lecturers

Another complaint that can apparently be traced back to international students is the workload of university lecturers, who claim the excessive swarm of internationals with extra exams and papers to grade has them swamped.  

And let’s not forget the sweaty, stuffy lecture halls crammed full of promising young internationals who are apparently overly eager to learn the ways of the world. 

As a professor, it must be hard to know such an unreasonable amount of people are interested in hearing what you have to say. 😪

Are internationals inherently less valuable? 

Do you believe these are the sole reasons why internationals are being encouraged to stay away? That’s up to you to decide. 

But riddle me this: If there was an overflow of Dutch students as opposed to internationals, would the government instruct them to take a hike as well? Would they put a halt to the education of their own citizens? 

Or maybe the House of Representatives would come to find that the room capacity and professorial workload suddenly weren’t such a big deal after all. 🤔

In fact, last year, the UvA attempted to set a quota ensuring that, while internationals were being excluded from their popular political science and psychology programmes, Dutchies wouldn’t be kicked out as well. 

See, they didn’t want to lose their budding Dutch uni babies along with internationals. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yep, that’s a well-aimed slap in the face of foreigners. 

Now, I’m not saying every native of this country is on board with some kind of “Make the Netherlands Dutch again” scheme — after all, plenty of nationals are more than willing to help out internationals. 

READ MORE | Why are the Dutch so good at speaking English?

But after the recent campaigning to ban English announcements on public transport — courtesy of the Language Defense Foundation —  and the outgoing minister for education threatening to do away with English-taught courses, an icky feeling has surfaced in the pit of my stomach.

It’s almost suggesting there’s a “them” versus “us” — us being the competitors, space occupiers, accommodation snatchers, and alienated “others”. 

How do the Dutch really feel about the influx of internationals? 

If I didn’t know any better, I would say it seems like a significant portion of government and university staff alike don’t find some people’s overseas origins favourable. 

And if I really didn’t know any better, I would say a good few don’t think internationals are welcome.  

Could the driving force be patriotic pride? Concerns about the Dutch language and culture being lost to the looming peril of anglicisation? 

READ MORE | ‘No internationals’: A tale of exclusion in the Dutch housing market

Or are the reasons a bit like the ones behind the “no internationals” policy liberally applied all over accommodation listings by discriminating Dutch landlords — that is, they just don’t like us that much? 

We ain’t budgin’ 

You can run, but you can’t hide. The Netherlands has become a multicultural hub with internationals (like yours truly) lurking at every turn. 🙊

And frankly, this didn’t happen by accident either; Amsterdam has welcomed tourists with outstretched, mercenary arms for literal centuries — up until the last few years, at least.  

READ MORE | 19 super annoying things internationals do in the Netherlands

Not only that but according to Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) spokesperson Gijs Kooistra, Dutch university attendees would also benefit from a diverse, multicultural student body. 

Kooistra also notes that the presence of English-taught courses in Dutch academia helps yield “the best academic staff” from overseas *cough*…but you didn’t hear it from us. 👉👈

While these opinions aren’t intended to stir the pot or create an even larger divide between pro and anti-internationals, maybe they will serve as food for thought. 🧐

How do you feel about the Dutch government and universities’ action to reduce the intake of students from abroad? Share your thoughts in the comments below!