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Asylum family reunification — parent of unaccompanied minor status holder

NetherlandsFamily

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

Which family relationships qualify?

The parents of an asylum residence permit holder who arrived in the Netherlands without parents and applied for asylum before turning 18; siblings under 18 qualify only if family reunification is applied for the parent(s) at the same time. The family member must already have been part of the family before the sponsor entered the Netherlands.

See recorded sources

Who may sponsor or bring the family member, and what immigration/citizenship status must that person hold?

The sponsor must hold an asylum residence permit granted by the IND (refugee or subsidiary protection), must have arrived in the Netherlands without parents and must have applied for asylum before turning 18; the sponsor declares in the application form that they are the sponsor who brings the family member to the Netherlands.

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What is important for proving marriage, partnership, parentage, custody, dependency or another qualifying relationship?

An original document proving the family relationship (for example a birth certificate); proof of who the sponsor's guardian in the Netherlands is if the sponsor is under 18 at application; originals proving family ties must already be in the Netherlands at application. If the parent lives in a country of which they are not a national and may stay there longer than 3 months, a copy of that residence document. With no or insufficient documents the IND may carry out more investigation, such as a DNA test or an interview.

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What important financial, accommodation, insurance or maintenance responsibilities apply?

If the sponsor has subsidiary protection but was under 18 and without parents at the time of the asylum application, the income and housing requirements do not apply; only the 2-year waiting period applies. The official source does not state insurance requirements.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • page is silent on insurance and on support requirements for refugee-status sponsors

How does the application work at a high level, what rights does the family member receive, how long does the status last, and how can it become independent or longer-term where officially stated?

A sponsor with refugee status must apply within 3 months of receiving the asylum residence permit. The sponsor (preferred by the IND) applies for the MVV and residence permit at the same time, online or by post; the family member may also apply at the Dutch embassy or consulate. The IND must decide within 9 months. The family member collects the MVV within 3 months of the decision, travels within 90 days and reports to the IND within 3 days of arrival. The family member receives a derivative asylum residence permit that depends on the sponsor's permit and can be withdrawn if the family relationship ends; it allows work without a work permit and is valid for a maximum of 3 years, depending on the sponsor's document. The family member may apply on their own for an independent asylum residence permit. The application is free for biological parent(s) and brother or sister when the sponsor was under 18 and without parents at the asylum application.

See recorded sources

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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