Verlenging naturalisatietermijnen

Reactie

Vraag1

I came to the Netherlands on an HSM visa in 2022, bringing my husband and son with me. We immediately fell in love with the culture and people here and wish to make the Netherlands our permanent home. In 2024 we purchased a house in Alkmaar and looked forward to settling in for the long-term. However, in late 2024 my employer announced there would be layoffs coming in 2025. Suddenly all of our security disappeared, and we spent the next 8 months terrified that my role would be eliminated and I wouldn't be able to find a new job within the 3 month window so we'd be forced to move back to our country of origin. Thankfully my role was spared from the layoffs, but now there are other issues at work which lead me to feel insecure.
Five years is a long time to go without security, knowing I'm one job loss away from losing everything we love here in the Netherlands. Our savings are ample enough we could survive unemployed for over a year, but the three month limit on being jobless for my visa means we could lose our ability to live here even when we don't need financial support from the government. My son has fully integrated (he goes to Dutch school, has Dutch friends, attends Dutch activities). My husband is learning the language and working to gain employment in the Netherlands. I am on a wait list for Dutch classes and have every intention of integrating as best as I can. We eagerly await the day we can apply for permanent residency and finally feel some peace that our lives won't be taken away from us.
Please do not extend the naturalization period to ten years, giving us another five years of anxiety and stress. The sooner we get integrated the better. At the very least, if you make this change please also increase the jobless period on the HSM visa. Three months is not enough time to find a new job in this difficult labor market.
Thank you for your consideration.