DutchNews.nl - Immigration rose in 2008, reversing trend

Immigration rose in 2008, reversing trend

Wednesday 10 June 2009

The number of immigrants settling in the Netherlands last year reached 140,000, the first rise in years, the Volkskrant reported on Wednesday, quoting integration minister Eberhard van der Laan.

Since 2003, more people have left the country than arrived but that trend ended last year, according to justice ministry figures.

The figure includes a growing number of 'imported brides', women brought into the Netherlands to marry first or second generaton immigrants, the paper said, without quoting figures.

New measures

Measures introduced in 2004 to reduce the number of women coming to Holland to marry men from Morocco and Turkey had been working, the minister said. But their effect was being offset by new arrivals from Iran, Somalia and Afghanistan who 'did not always come to marry the most emancipated men', the Volkskrant quoted the minister as saying.

The Telegraaf puts the number of imported brides at 15,330 last year, a 32% increase on 2007. The minister is considering taking further steps to limit their number, the paper says.

Integration tests

Since 2004, brides brought in from abroad must be at least 21-years-old and their partner's income must be 120% times the minimum wage. Compulsory integration tests for people from outside the EU were launched in 2007. These should be taken in the country of origin.

'At last the government is recognising the relationship between too much immigration and integration gone wrong,' VVD MP Paul de Krom told the Telegraaf.

According to the national statistics office CBS, 54,000 of the 140,000 arrivals last year come from other EU countries and 27,000 are Dutch nationals returning home. Some 20,000 come from Asia.

Subscribe Newsletter
Print-version
News archives

Readers' comments

I regret to say that Dutch News quite frequently presents the statistics and their reporters opinions but does not allow the readers to redress the issues or put forward alternative perspectives, or counter arguments discussed. Is this the beginning of the end of an open forum for posting counter arguments and points of views ? The news reporter quite frequently presents statistics and statistics of statistics, however there is no allowance for reanalysis of the statistics by the readers.

By Small Brother | June 10, 2009 3:28 PM

Unbelievable! I am so tired of Dutch Nationalism that causes them to call their citizen born of immigrant parents 2nd generation "immigrants". Shame on the Dutch Government, Newpapers, and people who do so....

By B.Wisser | June 10, 2009 4:20 PM

I think Dutchnews is doing fine, statistics will always be open to differing interpretation and opinion anyhow, thus the argument Small Brother gives is mute. At least any cut&pastes are for a reporting reasons.

As for sticking to the topic, I have no problems with immigration, differing cultures, religions and ethnicities. The trick though is that the values of the nation must be considered first and only in protecting that should issues arrise. Believing that loyalty is key, and since immigrants "want" to live in my country - they should sign a legal undertaking to uphold and protect the standards, laws and values of my country. If they fail that, they should be deported. There is no doubt that over time, mostly due to demographics, those standards change - they always do, but naturally.

By Solkhar | June 10, 2009 4:20 PM

I agree with Solkhar , far to many of these immigrant do so strickly for financial reasons and have no intention watsoever of taking on even a little of the culture of their new country .As for the so called 2nd generation, they still adhere to a lot of their parents culture. This often creates a generation that is emotionally confused.
We have the same problem here in Australia.
leon B.

By Leon A. Belgrave | June 11, 2009 11:01 AM

Comments have been closed for this article.

Comments