The cabinet is not in favour of giving asylum seekers formal Dutch lessons as soon as they arrive in the Netherlands, junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff told parliament on Tuesday.

Language lessons may give asylum seekers ‘expectations’ about their rights and are therefore ‘undesirable’, the minister said in a briefing to MPs. ‘I consider it to be of major importance that the government is clear in its message and does not send out contradictory signals,’ the minister said.

Refugees with a residency permit are given formal language lessons. Those whose status has not been assessed get some elementary teaching from volunteers but not by qualified teachers.

The minister said he would look into the option of providing asylum seekers who are likely to get residency permits with Dutch classes but this should not cost money or increase the workload of the refugee settlement agency COA.

Last week, Dijkhoff published an open letter to refugees warning them they would receive an ‘austere reception’ in the Netherlands.