A pilot licence for essential personnel of startups, is this the solution? For startups, it has proven to be incredibly complicated to hire foreign / licensed staff. This is mainly due to the position of the startup itself. The knowledge migrant scheme is in principle open only to companies with a proven track record and that requirement is at odds with the position of the startup.
On June 1 of this year, a pilot scheme was launched that aims to accommodate the innovative start-up by offering possibilities to provide essential personnel with the necessary permits.
The Rijksdienst voor ondernemend Nederland (RVO) is involved in these applications as an expert for advice. RVO uses an assessment framework for essential personnel for startups. This shows that the startup needs to demonstrate that the company is innovative and that there are scalable business activities, which activities (steps) the company takes to realise growth and which essential role the new employee will fulfil within the company. The startup will usually have to submit an extensive business plan for this.
Experience has taught us that this type of advisory process within an application should not be underestimated. It will be quite a task for the startup to qualify. In addition, such an application will take up a lot of time and entail uncertainty. Both are circumstances the startup will not be looking forward to when hiring essential staff.
Practice will show whether the pilot will be of added value for many startups.
For more information or advice on licensed staff, #workpermit, #internationals, please contact Reinier Wolters, r.wolters@valegis.com.
