Rights & responsibilities
Newcomers' awareness of their rights and responsibilities as new citizens. And the extent to which newcomers gain access to Dutch society. The more people are democratically aware, the more powerfully they can participate.
Insights
Prospects for residency play a major role in the choices people make when building their lives in the Netherlands.
The Ukrainian case shows how decisive the prospect of residence is for the choices people make about how they organize their lives in the Netherlands. We see that people from Ukraine are still keeping all their options open because they do not know what will happen to their residence status after March 4, 2025. This is reflected, for example, in the high demand for English language lessons and doubts about investing in learning Dutch and building meaningful relationships with people who have been living in the Netherlands for some time. But it is also reflected in people remaining in flexible jobs that do not match their previous experience and a feeling of not being able to put down roots in Dutch society.
The informal network is an important source of information about rights and responsibilities.
In the EU migrant workers project, we see that national Facebook groups, for example, are an important source of information about rights and responsibilities. However, the information shared on these groups is not always accurate, but it does stick because it relates to everyday situations that people can relate to.
Good information provision and fair treatment as a citizen are important.
Legal certainty is important for everyone, including newcomers. This means providing good information and treating citizens fairly.
Example: unilateral adjustment of the integration program by a municipality without the signature of the newcomer. Legally permissible, but does not provide legal certainty.
Design questions
How do we invest in people from the outset as if they are here to stay?
How can we organize the system so that we invest in people from the outset as if they are staying, regardless of clarity about their prospects of remaining?
How can we strengthen the power of informal networks?
How can information about rights and responsibilities be used to leverage the power of informal networks?