The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is using a “virtual assistant” to manage the influx of over 17,000 residence permit applications from international students this year.
This automated system has enabled the swift, thorough, and 24/7 processing of these applications, Schengen.News reports.
By late July, the IND had received 17,187 residence permit applications from non-EU students. Traditionally, handling such a volume would require around 15 temporary staff members, I Am Expat Netherlands explains.
Thanks to the automated system, the “virtual assistant” processed over 13,000 applications between March and July. While human oversight remained necessary, automation reduced the need to train temporary staff, thus saving valuable time.
Imro Simmelink, IND Affairs Manager, noted that the Netherlands expects to receive all applications for student residence permits before the summer, i.e. before the start of the academic year in September.
Training and assisting temporary workers is not necessary any more, which saves a lot of time for the experienced staff members. We started doing this in March and have already been able to handle about 13,000 applications this way.
IND Achieves Nearly 100% Approval Rate for Non-EU Student Residence Permits
According to an IND spokesperson, the rigorous multi-stage review process results in a high approval rate for residence permit applications. Last year, 99 per cent of these applications were approved, while for 2024, the approval rate is also close to 100 per cent. Nearly 25 per cent of international students come from outside the EU, with the largest groups coming from destinations as follows:
- China
- India
- United States
- Türkiye
- Indonesia
As the authority explains, nearly all residence permit applications are submitted on behalf of higher education students. The process begins with the academic institution assessing whether the student meets the necessary criteria before forwarding the application to the IND. This approach allows the IND to approve almost all residence permit applications for study purposes.
As in previous years, IND will distribute residence permits during the national award days on August 24, September 14 and October 5 at the Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. Around 7,000 permits are issued daily, ensuring students receive their documents promptly. The central IND process involves staff from across the organisation to facilitate this efficient delivery.
