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Amsterdam to help undocumented young people gain access to education
The Dutch city of Amsterdam, led by mayor Femke Halsema, announced it would start taking steps towards facilitating access to higher education for the city’s undocumented young residents.
Amsterdammers without proper residence permits lose access to education once they turn 18 years of age, even if they have previously attended primary and secondary school in the Netherlands. This is a significant problem because it denies young people the opportunity to have a good future and also deepens social exclusion.
In order to tackle this issue, the city of Amsterdam has joined forces with five educational institutions located in the city. They will work together in order to create tailor-made solutions to this problem. VU University Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Inholland University of Applied Sciences and the Amsterdam University of the Arts will be participating in the project together with the municipality of Amsterdam.
Young people without proper documents will receive assistance from educational institutions in applying for and obtaining a study residence permit. Furthermore, the universities will also investigate if young people who do not have residency status are eligible for other types of education or if the study costs for this group can be reduced.
The municipality and the five participating educational institutions will work together with the local ombudsman and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) to examine how they can make the application process for a student residence permit easier for these young people. Furthermore, it will be discussed how the access can be facilitated in the case of young people who want to pursue training or education in professions with labour shortages.
At the same time, it is equally important for secondary schools and for the young people themselves, to be aware of how the entry to higher education institutions works. That is why this pilot project, which is set to run until 2024, will also have the role of keeping schools and students informed about this issue. (photo credit: freepic. diller/Freepik)
