Verlenging naturalisatietermijnen

Reactie

Vraag1

I support the proposal to extend the naturalisation period to 10 years, while maintaining the 5-year requirement for permanent residence.

As a highly-skilled migrant who has lived and worked in the Netherlands' high-tech sector for 18 years, my personal experience strongly aligns with the logic behind this change. I have held a permanent residence permit for many years and have consciously chosen not to naturalise. My reasons are twofold, and they reflect the realities of many international professionals in this country:

Permanent Residence Provides Ample Stability: The current 5-year path to permanent residence offers a perfect balance. It provides the long-term security needed to build a life, invest in the community, and contribute fully to the Dutch economy, without the need to make the profound decision of changing one's nationality. For me, and for many, this status is entirely sufficient.

Defining Deeper Integration: While I have met the language and integration requirements for permanent residence, the choice to pursue citizenship is a separate, significant step. The extended 10-year period thoughtfully reframes naturalisation as a profound commitment to full political and national integration. This distinction acknowledges that individuals can be stable, contributing residents while reserving citizenship for those ready to make that deeper, long-term pledge.

This proposal creates a clear and fair two-tier system. It pragmatically respects the different ways one can belong to and contribute to the Netherlands.

By keeping permanent residence accessible, the Netherlands remains an attractive destination for global talent. By extending the naturalisation period, it rightly frames citizenship as the ultimate commitment it is.