Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling’s acknowledgement of serious challenges in the residence permit application process (see related story) was refreshing. She pledged urgent reforms to address technical failures and administrative inefficiencies that have led to delays and wrongful rejections.
This is precisely one of the points made in this column on Monday, after Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA Richinel Bug had called on local businesses to stop hiring undocumented workers. If government expects society to follow rules, it should also facilitate such, for example, when legally employing foreigners where needed due to a lack of viable local alternatives.
Tackling confirmed that residence permit applicants have faced obstacles ranging from missing documents in government’s system to unregistered payments, all of which have slowed down or derailed their requests. The plan to issue these permits in English instead of Dutch in any case seems like common sense, considering that most persons involved are not Dutch-speaking.
Another issue is the denial of permanent residency because of so-called “gaps” in an individual’s residence history, often caused by delays in receiving work permits from VSA. Applicants were urged to act quickly when they notice discrepancies and file an objection.
As a last resort the minister holds discretionary authority to waive certain gaps in justified cases, particularly with evidence the delays are caused by government processing errors. Using that power too often is hardly desirable, however, to avoid even the mere perception of possible favouritism.
