Dutch cabinet is working to evacuate up to 2,000 more Afghans to the Netherlands

Finally! Some good news for us this Friday morning — the Dutch cabinet is working on plans to evacuate more Afghans to the Netherlands than they had previously calculated.

Initially, the outgoing parliament estimated that in addition to the interpreters, only about 70 Afghans would be eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands. According to various sources from The Hague, this number is now seen to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people, The NOS reports.

Who is entitled to come to the Netherlands?

At this point, the plan is to bring anyone who has worked in visible public positions for Dutch organisations after January 1, 2019, to the Netherlands. This is around 900 people, including their immediate family members.

In addition, any Afghans who have worked for at least one year for the Ministry of Defense or Europol over the past 20 years are also entitled to come to the Netherlands. Several hundred people are included in this category.

Human rights organisations can also nominate people for evacuation. These nominations will then be assessed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   

Remaining Dutchies

There are also still 300 Dutchies in Afghanistan who need to be evacuated. 🇳🇱

In the end, however, the Netherlands is reliant on the cooperation of the Taliban in order to actually be able to bring these people to the Netherlands. Several other European countries are slowly evacuating people via Qatar and Pakistan.

What are your thoughts on the cabinet’s plan to bring more Afghans to the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: Skorzewiak/Depositphotos

Jen Lorimer 🇿🇼
Jen Lorimer 🇿🇼
An avid tea drinker, Jen was born and raised in Zimbabwe. She moved to Utrecht in 2017 to pursue her history degree. She loves people-watching, canoeing the Utrecht canals, and observing how the Dutch come alive in summer. Having been traumatised by a Dutch circle party, Jen wants to help equip other internationals with tips and tricks to survive and thrive in this wonderful flat country.

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