On Monday night two Dutch political parties, the VVD and PvdA, announced that they were forming a new coalition government. As part this announcement  they outlined their policies on asylum and immigration.

As expected, there will be a ‘kinderpardon’ (children’s pardon): unaccompanied minors and children of asylum seekers who have been in  the country for at least 5 years will receive a residency visa when they turn 18.

However, the government wants to criminalise anyone who is in the Netherlands ‘illegally’, such as those without papers. (Read more about this in Dutch here). Residency visas will not be given to those who were previously ‘illegal’ in the Netherlands or to those who have committed fraud.

Furthermore, foreigners who are convicted of a crime can now be deported up to five years after the crime has been committed.