In many families, the acquisition of Dutch citizenship is understood to be beneficial to the careers of male breadwinners and for children’s educational opportunities. In that case, the IND will send a letter: a request to rectify the omission.

2018, 37). Soni told us: “I really don’t want to let go of my Indian passport, to be honest. But if there was an opportunity, I would like to keep it [Indian passport], you know?The availability of OCI cards removes many of the objections Indian migrants in the Netherlands may have to relinquishing their Indian passports. As a “highly skilled” or “knowledge” migrant, life in the Netherlands implies many financial benefits and shorter working hours, which, Vinod claimed, allow him to both develop himself and spend more time with his wife and child. Further research into the social status and economic benefits of foreign citizenship for high-skilled Indian migrants and return migrants will help us to deepen our understanding of the relationship between transnational mobility, class and gender.The flexible citizenship of our informants is cultivated in the space between the demands of the global economy, individual choice, cultural norms, Indian diaspora policies, and Dutch migration and integration policies. The international battle for brains has motivated states like the Netherlands and India to design flexible migration and citizenship policies for socially and economically desirable migrants. We observed this pattern in several families. Most of our informants came from middle-class families but some, like Vinod, who grew up in a Mumbai slum, had launched themselves into the middle classes through IT education supported by state quotas for Dalits, community support, and family sacrifice.With this paper, we hope to contribute to ongoing discussions about the changing nature of national citizenship in an increasingly transnational world, and about the dynamic interaction between individuals and states creating gender and class distinctions in the international mobility market. An organisation is obliged to get recognition as a sponsor if they wish to apply for a residence permit for au pair, exchange, study, highly skilled migrant and … Are documents missing, or are documents not correct? The mvv is valid for 90 days. That’s the problem. To sponsor highly skilled migrants, the employer must first be registered in the Netherlands with the Chamber of Commerce, the Tax Authority, and the Dutch Immigration Service IND. The forms are at the bottom of this page for your recognised employer. Depending on your nationality, you may need a provisional residence permit (MVV) to enter the Netherlands and a residence permit to stay in the country for more than three months. Men are usually the ones to secure their own mobility by obtaining new (Dutch) citizenship while wives have to rely on husbands for theirs.Most of our informants hail from middle or upper middle class families and the vast majority are Hindi-speaking Hindus from northern India, but the group also included several south Indians, Bengalis, Christians, Muslims, and one Jain. Luckily, they had an active social life among other Hindi-speaking Indians in the town where they lived. Although Soha had lived in the Netherlands for 11 years and had her own business, she told us:About a year after Vinod obtained Dutch citizenship, we asked him if it had changed his life in any way. Return visa If you are awaiting a procedure, you do not have a valid residence document at present and you wish to travel outside the Netherlands, you may need a return visa to re-enter the Netherlands. What is the meaning of citizenship to these migrants and how does it relate to their identity as Indians and their attachment to India?This paper begins with a brief overview of our data and research methodology.

With liberalisation and the development of the IT industry, the middle class refashioned themselves from technocrats serving the state to entrepreneurs serving the nation (Amrute, 122). While some segments of the Indian diaspora are starting to lobby for political incorporation in India, our informants were primarily concerned with personal relationships and national identity in negotiating their relationship with India.Plans for future migration and the decision to naturalize in the Netherlands are made in the space between the cultural logics of individuals and their families and the economic and political processes shaping the movement of high-skilled migrants in both India and the Netherlands. Luckily, they had an active social life among other Hindi-speaking Indians in the town where they lived. It should be noted that, while the employer can also apply for a residence permit on behalf of the immigrant, he or she is also able to take this step.