NGO Refugee
Vluchtelingenwerk
Netherlands-wide
The national foundation supporting refugees and asylum seekers from the moment they enter Dutch reception until they can manage on their own, through offices in most municipalities.
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This is the organisation a person going through the Dutch asylum procedure is most likely to deal with in practice, and after a permit is granted it delivers the guidance municipalities arrange for status holders.
About
VluchtelingenWerk Nederland is a foundation set up in 1979, with its office in Amsterdam. It supports refugees and asylum seekers from the moment they enter reception in the Netherlands until they can find their own way, working through local offices in most Dutch municipalities with paid staff and a large body of volunteers. During the asylum procedure it explains the steps to applicants and works alongside their lawyers, and it helps with family reunification. For people who have been granted a residence permit, municipalities can arrange named services from it: social guidance on practical matters and taking part in local life, legal guidance, a labour market and participation module, the participation statement trajectory, and Euro-Wijzer, which covers the Dutch financial system and running your own paperwork. It runs separate support for people who fled Ukraine. Alongside this work with individuals it tries to change policy, by responding to bills and writing to parliament, publishing research on the asylum system, giving talks in schools and companies, and taking selected cases to Dutch and European courts. It also runs an information website for refugees. Until 2022 it was an association of local organisations and it is now a single national foundation.
What they offer
- Guidance with family reunification
- Legal guidance for status holders
- Labour market and participation coaching
- Participation statement trajectory covering rights, duties and core values in the Netherlands
- Euro-Wijzer, help with the Dutch financial system and running your own administration
- Support for people who fled Ukraine
Good to know
- Its work is with refugees and asylum seekers. It is not a service for internationals who came here for work or study.
- The services for status holders are arranged and paid for by municipalities, so what is available depends on what your municipality has arranged.
- It works alongside a lawyer during the asylum procedure. It does not replace legal representation.
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