The Netherlands Tightens its Highly Skilled Migrant (HSM) Scheme

Overview of the Changes and Government Rationale

Participating employers that obtain recognised sponsor status from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) can hire qualifying foreign national workers through a comparatively streamlined residence process, provided salary thresholds and other regulatory requirements are met.

The Dutch government's latest direction is to utilise the HSM Scheme more selectively while still preserving employer access to highly qualified foreign talent. Significant proposed changes include:

• Higher minimum salary thresholds. The proposed measures to increase salary levels are not yet in force and therefore, not reflected in the salary levels published in 2026. The increases are expected to present a significant cost threshold for employers, with the monthly minimum salary at approximately €5,942 for workers aged 30 and over and €4,357 for workers under 30.
• Maximum limit on graduate salaries . The reduced salary threshold for recent graduates may be limited to a maximum of three years after graduation. Currently, graduates may continue to qualify for the reduced threshold indefinitely, provided there is uninterrupted employment. This is now under review.
• Tighter conditions for recognised sponsors . Companies may lose sponsor recognition status sooner if they do not actively employ highly skilled migrants over a defined period.
• Increased focus on employer compliance and proper use of the HSM category . Guidance on the reforms indicates that recognised sponsor status may be refused or withdrawn where employers have repeated labour, tax, or wage compliance violations. Authorities will play a more prominent role when granting permits. They will closely examine whether sponsoring employers are conforming to the market and discourage the practice of paying excessively high salaries to source talent from outside the EU.

The aim is to reshape a programme that continues to serve the knowledge economy but with a more selective framework that is still open, but less flexible and less forgiving for employers.

Steps for HR to Address Dutch HSM Reforms

In response to the Dutch reform of the HSM Scheme, HR leaders in the Netherlands should take the opportunity to re-evaluate their foreign workforce.

Apply a segmented talent strategy

• Define which roles truly require non EU sponsorship in the Netherlands and which can be filled via EU recruitment, local hiring, or alternative workforce models.
• Use the HSM programme selectively for business critical, hard to fill positions rather than as a general international hiring channel.

Introduce an immigration risk and impact assessment

• For each sponsored role, assess salary growth potential against likely future threshold increases, expected contract duration, and whether the business case remains sustainable over time.
• Build this analysis into workforce planning so immigration risk is considered alongside headcount and budget decisions.

Reassess compensation governance for Dutch sponsored hires

• Check HSM salary thresholds at the time of hiring and again at key milestones (renewals, promotions, contract changes).
• Ensure job titles, job descriptions and seniority levels clearly align with salary levels, given increasing scrutiny of job level–pay consistency.
• Avoid “edge of threshold” offers; set salaries with a buffer above the minimum to absorb annual threshold adjustments, payroll anomalies, or changes in working hours.

Treat recognised sponsor status as a regulated licence

• Reposition recognised sponsor status as a regulated licence, not an operational formality.
• Assign clear internal ownership (e.g., a designated sponsor/compliance owner) and define roles for HR, legal, payroll and global mobility.
• Maintain centralised sponsor documentation, including audit ready salary and payment evidence, contracts, postings and change records.
• Establish clear escalation processes for potential non compliance, salary shortfalls, changes in role or working pattern, and ensure these are acted on quickly.

Plan global mobility for a more selective HSM schematic environment

• Incorporate Dutch HSM scheme constraints into global mobility and location strategy decisions for 2026 and beyond.
• Be more intentional about where talent is placed, how assignments are structured, and when Dutch sponsorship is still the right tool versus alternative locations or models (e.g., remote or near shore EU roles).

Taken together, these steps help Dutch employers move from a transactional use of the HSM route to a more strategic, risk aware approach that protects access to international talent while staying ahead of a tightening regulatory environment.